A review by reading_rainbow_with_chris
Stealing by Margaret Verble

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

“Stealing” by Margaret Verble
CW: Rape, child abuse
Kit is a young Cherokee girl who has experienced a lot of sadness for her age, but her indomitable spirit and curiosity about the world keeps her moving forward. Her curiosity is what leads her to meet the woman who moved into her late Uncle Joe’s cabin, and her world starts to unfold around her. I am deliberately trying to be vague in this review because a significant amount of the impact of the book is how Verble passes the revelation of information, so I will stop with any indication of the plot. What I will say is that Verble has a deft hand at handling sensitive topics. She doesn’t shy away from hard moments, but they still have a sense of delicacy to them in a way that shows they aren’t about excess or shock; they are needed for the narrative. My one critique for the novel is that I don’t particularly care for the narrator voice. For me, it felt as if Verble were trying to write with three different voices: author, 9-year old Kit, and older Kit. As a result, I don’t feel I got a clear sense of character in the voice. However, it’s not so far off; a minor adjustment in any direction would give it more character, and it is certainly not such a distraction as to take away from this heartwrenching and important novel. 
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