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A review by alexcaleb_etc
Spare and Found Parts by Sarah Maria Griffin
hopeful
mysterious
slow-paced
4.0
A book I have so much love for in every sense. It's structural form, specifically the split in pale and pasture reflected through more poetic sections vs more traditional prose sections really adds to the dreamlike, paradise quality of Nell's memory of the past vs the more practical aspects of her present.
Nell as a protagonist also really spoke to me. She consistently has a drive that I love to see in protagonists despite dancing around the shadow of her father's legacy and her mother's memory. She feels very neurodivergent to me, and I found myself really relating to her struggles of feeling too well and too sick all at the same time, constantly trying to find a balance between what is expected of her and what she truly wishes to do.
I know several people expressed dislike of the slow pace, however I really loved that aspect too. I did feel the ending fell flat and indeed could have been better executed but regardless this is a book I come back to almost yearly. I am in love with how Griffin gives character to the world through atmosphere, allowing readers to immerse themselves in it, though I agree certain aspects could be better fleshed out. In many ways this is a Frankenstein story, in other ways not, but I still find myself coming back to it for reasons I can't fully explain
Nell as a protagonist also really spoke to me. She consistently has a drive that I love to see in protagonists despite dancing around the shadow of her father's legacy and her mother's memory. She feels very neurodivergent to me, and I found myself really relating to her struggles of feeling too well and too sick all at the same time, constantly trying to find a balance between what is expected of her and what she truly wishes to do.
I know several people expressed dislike of the slow pace, however I really loved that aspect too. I did feel the ending fell flat and indeed could have been better executed but regardless this is a book I come back to almost yearly. I am in love with how Griffin gives character to the world through atmosphere, allowing readers to immerse themselves in it, though I agree certain aspects could be better fleshed out. In many ways this is a Frankenstein story, in other ways not, but I still find myself coming back to it for reasons I can't fully explain