A review by emma_therabbithole
Violets by Alex Hyde

emotional reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

I’m very conflicted about this book. It took me at least until halfway through to settle into it, and I found the mixture of verse and prose initially quite jarring. That said, once I got into it and figured out what was going on, I really enjoyed the latter half and felt if I re read the first half would be a completely different experience.
The writing is beautiful, it’s lyrical and pulls you up, forcing you to read a paragraph again to take in the beauty. But this sometimes feels a priority over the characterisation. Despite the emotional subjects covered; war, motherhood gained and lost - I never felt close to the characters, I felt constantly kept at a distance.
It’s without doubt an interesting read, and there is lots to unpick and discuss in terms of literary choices and devices - and as this is a book club read I’m really looking forward to hearing what others in the group felt about it.

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