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A review by amyvl93
Careless by Kirsty Capes
emotional
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Part of my attempt to read the Women's Prize longlist, I already had Careless, so figured it would be a good place to start. The novel follows Bess, a teenager who lives in foster care in the 1990s, who finds out that she is pregnant in the opening pages. The novel then follows her relationship with Boy, who got her pregnant, and her turmoil over what to do about being pregnant.
Capes is a care-experienced young person, so there is also lots of reflection in here on the challenging experiences that children within the care system can have, both from foster families and from the professionals who work with them. I do think the comparison with Bess' friends family was a little heavy-handed, particularly the neat way in which her storyline was tied up didn't quite chime with the character motivations elsewhere.
This has had some sniffy reviews, and I think this is in part as Careless does feel written with a slightly younger audience in mind - it reminded me a lot of novels I read growing up, and I wonder if targeting it at adults means that a lot of readers who would love this may not pick it up. Bess as a character whilst not always making the best choices, is someone I definitely grew to care deeply for as the novel progressed - and whilst the novel didn't necessarily have a happily ever after ending, it did feel very hopeful.
Capes is a care-experienced young person, so there is also lots of reflection in here on the challenging experiences that children within the care system can have, both from foster families and from the professionals who work with them. I do think the comparison with Bess' friends family was a little heavy-handed, particularly the neat way in which her storyline was tied up didn't quite chime with the character motivations elsewhere.
This has had some sniffy reviews, and I think this is in part as Careless does feel written with a slightly younger audience in mind - it reminded me a lot of novels I read growing up, and I wonder if targeting it at adults means that a lot of readers who would love this may not pick it up. Bess as a character whilst not always making the best choices, is someone I definitely grew to care deeply for as the novel progressed - and whilst the novel didn't necessarily have a happily ever after ending, it did feel very hopeful.