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A review by mwbuell
The Science of Breakable Things by Tae Keller
5.0
I read How to Trap A Tiger last year… but THIS is the book that has made me a huge Tae Keller fan. I love how Tae related Natalie’s complicated emotions to science and the scientific process. I loved all the bits about the flowers. But most of all… the reveal of Natalie’s mother’s depression.
The whole book, I assumed that Natalie’s mother was terminally ill—and perhaps she really was—just not in the physical way that I was anticipating. But when it was revealed that the sickness or “the situation” was depression, I was touched. Suddenly so much of Natalie’s perspective made sense, in a way that it hadn’t before.
This is the first book I’ve read from the perspective of a child whose parent is battling mental illness. I hope it is not my last. The author did a phenomenal job of expressing a child’s complicated feelings—even resentment—while holding such a beautiful space for healing and hope.
The whole book, I assumed that Natalie’s mother was terminally ill—and perhaps she really was—just not in the physical way that I was anticipating. But when it was revealed that the sickness or “the situation” was depression, I was touched. Suddenly so much of Natalie’s perspective made sense, in a way that it hadn’t before.
This is the first book I’ve read from the perspective of a child whose parent is battling mental illness. I hope it is not my last. The author did a phenomenal job of expressing a child’s complicated feelings—even resentment—while holding such a beautiful space for healing and hope.