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A review by crizzle
We Love You, Charlie Freeman by Kaitlyn Greenidge
2.0
Well that was an even more awkward Thanksgiving scene than the one in Such a Fun Age. YIKES.
I first heard about this book on NPR (Fresh Air, I think?) and I have this thing with books about humans raising chimpanzees. It started about a decade ago with “We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves”, then the nonfiction “Next of Kin” (AMAZING BOOK!!!) and others I’ve had sitting on my to-read but have never come across in real life yet.
This one… was not so fun. I am not giving it a low rating because she’s a bad writer; she did a great job. It was just a bummer of a book, not to mention disgusting. First of all, the chimp Charlie was SO unloveable. He was a JERK. But the way in which he was described makes you nauseous. Do not read this book while eating - does not pair well. You have almost a visceral response, almost smelling his putrid ape stench and hot, sour breath. So gross.
Second: This mom is a piece of work. Whoa.
Third: The entire Callie (little sister) story line was the saddest part of the whole book. It was so painful to watch her life and all of her close relationships, especially with her sister, disintegrate. We got a very unsatisfactory epilogue. Girlfriend needs to see a therapist.
Anyway, this was cringe-worthy the entire way through and also kinda eerie/creepy. The back cover says something about “humor” and I wonder what is wrong with that reviewer.
I first heard about this book on NPR (Fresh Air, I think?) and I have this thing with books about humans raising chimpanzees. It started about a decade ago with “We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves”, then the nonfiction “Next of Kin” (AMAZING BOOK!!!) and others I’ve had sitting on my to-read but have never come across in real life yet.
This one… was not so fun. I am not giving it a low rating because she’s a bad writer; she did a great job. It was just a bummer of a book, not to mention disgusting. First of all, the chimp Charlie was SO unloveable. He was a JERK. But the way in which he was described makes you nauseous. Do not read this book while eating - does not pair well. You have almost a visceral response, almost smelling his putrid ape stench and hot, sour breath. So gross.
Second: This mom is a piece of work. Whoa.
Third: The entire Callie (little sister) story line was the saddest part of the whole book. It was so painful to watch her life and all of her close relationships, especially with her sister, disintegrate. We got a very unsatisfactory epilogue. Girlfriend needs to see a therapist.
Anyway, this was cringe-worthy the entire way through and also kinda eerie/creepy. The back cover says something about “humor” and I wonder what is wrong with that reviewer.