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A review by gxcons
How We Named the Stars by Andrés N. Ordorica
emotional
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
This novel is a journal-like view at a year between Mexican-American Daniel and his freshman roommate Sam. Tragedy hits, and Daniel finds healing in his family (including the memory of his namesake, an uncle who died at a young age), time spent in Mexico, and embracing his sexuality. A touching story about grief and healing, as well as friendship.
What worked for me:
-Telling the story mostly in a "you" / 2nd person format is pretty different and might be jarring if you're not used to it, but I think it was effective for the purpose of memorializing and trying to sort out Daniel's thoughts and feelings.
-Tio Daniel's journal entries at the beginning of each chapter were well written and tied in.
-My favorite character: Daniel's abuelo <3
-My favorite chapters were the ones in Mexico.
The only thing that really threw me, and for the entirety of the novel, was how everyone spoke. For Daniel's narration to be a bit formal is one choice, but I often thought to myself, "people don't talk like this," especially with the teenage characters.
What worked for me:
-Telling the story mostly in a "you" / 2nd person format is pretty different and might be jarring if you're not used to it, but I think it was effective for the purpose of memorializing and trying to sort out Daniel's thoughts and feelings.
-Tio Daniel's journal entries at the beginning of each chapter were well written and tied in.
-My favorite character: Daniel's abuelo <3
-My favorite chapters were the ones in Mexico.
The only thing that really threw me, and for the entirety of the novel, was how everyone spoke. For Daniel's narration to be a bit formal is one choice, but I often thought to myself, "people don't talk like this," especially with the teenage characters.