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A review by donnaeve
All the Ugly and Wonderful Things by Bryn Greenwood
5.0
This book was unlike any other I've read.
Told from a variety of viewpoints, from the young girl, Wavy, to the man she was star crossed with, Kellen, to her cousin, teacher, roommate, and grandma, (and more I might be forgetting - ah yes, the judge, just remembered her) Greenwood does an astounding job from the very beginning at character building. As soon as I read a paragraph from Wavy's viewpoint - I knew her. Same for all the others. The story moves along at a perfect pace - not too rushed, not too slow.
The subject Greenwood writes about, the relationship between this child, Wavy, and this man, Kellen, has been criticized, but what I think some are missing is writing about such a taboo topic doesn't mean the writer is in any way attempting to advocate for this sort of relationship, under the radar, so to speak. I think she's writing about something that, like I've said with my own book, is the truth for someone/somewhere out there. We know this very thing has happened - it was on the news a few years ago - except the older individual was a woman. The author is not saying it's right or wrong. She's only telling a story, showing how it could happen.
I cared about all of these characters, and I loved the story. What a complex and unique premise. Greenwood's writing is gritty, real and honest. She didn't hold back, or pepper her prose with pretty little cover ups. Exactly the kind of writing I love.
Told from a variety of viewpoints, from the young girl, Wavy, to the man she was star crossed with, Kellen, to her cousin, teacher, roommate, and grandma, (and more I might be forgetting - ah yes, the judge, just remembered her) Greenwood does an astounding job from the very beginning at character building. As soon as I read a paragraph from Wavy's viewpoint - I knew her. Same for all the others. The story moves along at a perfect pace - not too rushed, not too slow.
The subject Greenwood writes about, the relationship between this child, Wavy, and this man, Kellen, has been criticized, but what I think some are missing is writing about such a taboo topic doesn't mean the writer is in any way attempting to advocate for this sort of relationship, under the radar, so to speak. I think she's writing about something that, like I've said with my own book, is the truth for someone/somewhere out there. We know this very thing has happened - it was on the news a few years ago - except the older individual was a woman. The author is not saying it's right or wrong. She's only telling a story, showing how it could happen.
I cared about all of these characters, and I loved the story. What a complex and unique premise. Greenwood's writing is gritty, real and honest. She didn't hold back, or pepper her prose with pretty little cover ups. Exactly the kind of writing I love.