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A review by cjwitch
You Exist Too Much by Zaina Arafat
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Going into the book, I expected something different from what it is. What I found was a book about emotional, particularly parental, trauma and the very human responses to it. This book was difficult in the beginning, the FMC deeply unlikeable and her perspective both unhealthy and unenjoyable through much of the book.
What I did love about the book, and what kept me engaged from the start, was the non-linear storytelling, which flashes between the FMC's present and her past. It allows us glimpses into the traumas that fuel her present day actions and allows the reader to see the vulnerability behind the FMC's rough edges.
Despite her flaws, the FMC's drive to self-analysis and personal growth is admirable. Even when she knows that the growth won't fix her most recent relationship, she recognizes the need to improve for herself and her own future.
By the end, my dislike of the unnamed FMC had diminished somewhat, though I never gained a true love of the character. Still, somehow I found that I enjoyed this book; enjoyed the journey that the FMC took and the growth that she achieved and the way her view of her mother evolved.
1st Generation Palestinian-American
Bisexual FMC
Generational Trauma
Therapy and Healing
Introspection
What I did love about the book, and what kept me engaged from the start, was the non-linear storytelling, which flashes between the FMC's present and her past. It allows us glimpses into the traumas that fuel her present day actions and allows the reader to see the vulnerability behind the FMC's rough edges.
Despite her flaws, the FMC's drive to self-analysis and personal growth is admirable. Even when she knows that the growth won't fix her most recent relationship, she recognizes the need to improve for herself and her own future.
By the end, my dislike of the unnamed FMC had diminished somewhat, though I never gained a true love of the character. Still, somehow I found that I enjoyed this book; enjoyed the journey that the FMC took and the growth that she achieved and the way her view of her mother evolved.
1st Generation Palestinian-American
Bisexual FMC
Generational Trauma
Therapy and Healing
Introspection
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Addiction, Biphobia, and Homophobia