A review by fermin
In Memoriam by Alice Winn

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-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

5.0

I wanted to give it some time to organize my thoughts before I rated this novel, but thing is, it's clinging to me, it's got awesome staying power. I think this book is a lot more than the sum of its parts, it's sadder, blunter, more tragic, more vicious than I was expecting. But it's also happier, warmer, more hopeful than I could've imagined. Alice does an amazing job weaving amazingly thorough research of historical facts with a queer love story that is neither tragic nor pure wish-fulfillment. I can only commend her, not only does she manage to find a way out of this thorny maze, but she does so gracefully, with beautifully written prose.

I'm not sure it's a spoiler to say there is a happy ending awaiting the reader, but if I try to find a reason why it's still rolling around in my head, making me sentimental at unexpected moments, I'd venture it is because while that's incredibly hopeful and nothing short of revolutionary, it's near impossible to come away from this book not realizing it was also incredibly painful and sad to earn it. Perhaps the most bittersweet book I've ever read? I wish I could be mad at Alice, you know, blame her of writing a misery porn novel in the vein of A little life and contributing to the ever growing pile of queer romances all implicitly sharing the lesson that true everlasting happiness is not for the queers. Yet I can't say that's what she did, she gave us a happy ending, one that she laboured immensely to inject with verisimilitude, I'm just wishing we could bask in that happiness a little longer, but then again, that's not the story the novel is about. 
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