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A review by impybelle
Everything Grows by Aimee Herman
4.0
There's a lot to love about Everything Grows. Aggie is worthy of all the attention paid to her over the course of the book. El is pretty spiffy most of the time (not everyone could forgive and actually legitimately mourn their bully, even after finding out the reasons behind them being a bully), Helaine is wonderful, and I want nothing but the best for Flor.
Thing is, don't go into this thinking that this is a story just about Eleanor coping with the death of her bully because it's so much more than that to the point that it feels weird having that be the thing that drew me in and made me want to read the book. This is not that book. It's definitely about Eleanor finding herself and dealing with the aftermath of her mother's suicide attempt, as well as trying to help the people left behind when James (the bully) kills himself.
I like that El tries to make these grand gestures (tracking down the correct Brian) only to find out that reality doesn't conform to the Hollywood ideal. I like that El is at a loss to describe how she feels about her body and the disconnect between what's physically happening and what she'd prefer.
I don't really get the rush of nostalgia that other people have mentioned. Sure, lots of touchstones are thrown about (Nirvana, Milli Vanilli) but it's not until Eleanor mentions her Walkman that I remembered that the year is supposed to be 1993. And even then, it doesn't really feel at all 90's-ish til Reigh shows up and I'm not sure I can pinpoint why. It vexes me though, so I'm throwing it out there.
I will say that Aggie's letter to Kurt at the end is wonderful and probably worth the price of admission alone. If it's not, then Eler's joy in wanting to keep going, to find the words and people and things that will make her life be better definitely is.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for this honest review.
Thing is, don't go into this thinking that this is a story just about Eleanor coping with the death of her bully because it's so much more than that to the point that it feels weird having that be the thing that drew me in and made me want to read the book. This is not that book. It's definitely about Eleanor finding herself and dealing with the aftermath of her mother's suicide attempt, as well as trying to help the people left behind when James (the bully) kills himself.
I like that El tries to make these grand gestures (tracking down the correct Brian) only to find out that reality doesn't conform to the Hollywood ideal. I like that El is at a loss to describe how she feels about her body and the disconnect between what's physically happening and what she'd prefer.
I don't really get the rush of nostalgia that other people have mentioned. Sure, lots of touchstones are thrown about (Nirvana, Milli Vanilli) but it's not until Eleanor mentions her Walkman that I remembered that the year is supposed to be 1993. And even then, it doesn't really feel at all 90's-ish til Reigh shows up and I'm not sure I can pinpoint why. It vexes me though, so I'm throwing it out there.
I will say that Aggie's letter to Kurt at the end is wonderful and probably worth the price of admission alone. If it's not, then Eler's joy in wanting to keep going, to find the words and people and things that will make her life be better definitely is.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for this honest review.