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kaylinwriter14 's review for:
Sadie
by Courtney Summers
5 Stars
Oh.my.god. This was my first Summers book, but definitely won’t be the last. Told both from the namesake’s perspective and as the dialogue of a podcast later discussing her disappearance, Summer’s writing created something unique and captivating.
I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again: my aesthetic is girls with switchblades. Sadie clearly illustrates her motivation very early in the book, but it never felt heavy-handed. Interviews with her family members, discussion of her past and more time spent in her perspective only strengthens her motivation and the tension in the narrative. I adored her character. Every angry, broken, jagged and unlikable piece. She was so many things female protagonists aren’t allowed to be, and this parallels with the theme that strength takes many forms.
Sadie’s story is filled with people who’ve been victimized by family, horrible men, or life itself. This was often ugly, and worked to create a sullen, gritty atmosphere. But it doesn’t stop there, as the story also focuses on reclaiming power and some different ways that can look. (For Sadie, it’s a switchblade.)
At it’s core, this book is about the complicated nature of identity. Due to this layered narrative we consistently have to compare how Sadie perceives herself with how others see her. For example, we frequently see Sadie’s POV during interactions and West later interviews the character she interacted with. Jumping from deep in a character’s head and seeing how she rationalized behaviors immediately compared with other's theorizing about those same behaviors was trippy and fascinating. How much of what other's perceive is us?
But despite all these complicated themes and ideas, there’s never a moment the story fails as a thriller. It’s tightly woven and masterfully paced. Each scene builds anticipation and propels forward like a train on a track we aren’t always certain we like.
In Conclusion:
I’m obsessed. I give so few five-star ratings because I’m saving them for books like this.
Every little thing about you can be a weapon, if you’re clever enough.
Oh.my.god. This was my first Summers book, but definitely won’t be the last. Told both from the namesake’s perspective and as the dialogue of a podcast later discussing her disappearance, Summer’s writing created something unique and captivating.
”I’m going to kill a man. I’m going to steal the light from his eyes. I want to watch it go out. You aren’t supposed to answer violence with more violence but sometimes I think violence is the only answer.”
I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again: my aesthetic is girls with switchblades. Sadie clearly illustrates her motivation very early in the book, but it never felt heavy-handed. Interviews with her family members, discussion of her past and more time spent in her perspective only strengthens her motivation and the tension in the narrative. I adored her character. Every angry, broken, jagged and unlikable piece. She was so many things female protagonists aren’t allowed to be, and this parallels with the theme that strength takes many forms.
Sadie’s story is filled with people who’ve been victimized by family, horrible men, or life itself. This was often ugly, and worked to create a sullen, gritty atmosphere. But it doesn’t stop there, as the story also focuses on reclaiming power and some different ways that can look. (For Sadie, it’s a switchblade.)
At it’s core, this book is about the complicated nature of identity. Due to this layered narrative we consistently have to compare how Sadie perceives herself with how others see her. For example, we frequently see Sadie’s POV during interactions and West later interviews the character she interacted with. Jumping from deep in a character’s head and seeing how she rationalized behaviors immediately compared with other's theorizing about those same behaviors was trippy and fascinating. How much of what other's perceive is us?
But despite all these complicated themes and ideas, there’s never a moment the story fails as a thriller. It’s tightly woven and masterfully paced. Each scene builds anticipation and propels forward like a train on a track we aren’t always certain we like.
In Conclusion:
I’m obsessed. I give so few five-star ratings because I’m saving them for books like this.
”But love is complicated, it’s messy. It can inspire selflessness, selfishness, our greatest accomplishments and our hardest mistakes. It brings us together and it can just as easily drive us apart. It can drive us.”