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A review by literaryintersections
The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I honestly don't know what to say about this book. It is heartfelt, beautiful, a stunning read. I didn't read The Dead Romantics (and I prob won't but loved the glimpse of them here!) but TSYS is perfection in book form.
What I loved most about this book is the way Clementine grows and falls. Her relationship with Iwan, both in the past and in the future, helped her grow and understand not only what she wanted but what she needed. The portrayal of grief - losing her aunt to suicide and being able to look back fondly on her memories, use them to thrive, instead of having them only as sadness. And the tension between her and Iwan ("I fear I have indeed gotten the wrong idea") was just ON FIRE. I loved the dual timing storyline, without it actually being a past and present for Clementine - all of it was currently happening. Plus some of the twists really shook me and they were perfectly laid, so you can go back and see all the hints. (Like the entire last 15% of the book I was just open mouthed crying). And the magic of it is all - this book is just steeped in MAGIC.
"But Lemon, overworked and exhausted Lemon, loved that crooked-mouthed dishwasher she met disaplced in time...." That entire paragraph GOSH.
But the part that truly wrecked me, that I am sure I won't come back from, is Lemon's relationship with her Aunt. "Sometimes the people you loved left you halfway through a story. Sometimes they left you without a goodbye." And right at the end, when they see each other again in the slip of time. "My heart swelled with grief and joy and love. So much love for this ghost of mine." A WRECK.
It is also super funny - the Miss Congeniality jokes, the sarcasm, the wit. I found myself laughing as much as I was swooning and crying. "I was nothing if not a prepared, depressed millennial" is going on a shirt.
What I loved most about this book is the way Clementine grows and falls. Her relationship with Iwan, both in the past and in the future, helped her grow and understand not only what she wanted but what she needed. The portrayal of grief - losing her aunt to suicide and being able to look back fondly on her memories, use them to thrive, instead of having them only as sadness. And the tension between her and Iwan ("I fear I have indeed gotten the wrong idea") was just ON FIRE. I loved the dual timing storyline, without it actually being a past and present for Clementine - all of it was currently happening. Plus some of the twists really shook me and they were perfectly laid, so you can go back and see all the hints. (Like the entire last 15% of the book I was just open mouthed crying). And the magic of it is all - this book is just steeped in MAGIC.
"But Lemon, overworked and exhausted Lemon, loved that crooked-mouthed dishwasher she met disaplced in time...." That entire paragraph GOSH.
But the part that truly wrecked me, that I am sure I won't come back from, is Lemon's relationship with her Aunt. "Sometimes the people you loved left you halfway through a story. Sometimes they left you without a goodbye."
It is also super funny - the Miss Congeniality jokes, the sarcasm, the wit. I found myself laughing as much as I was swooning and crying. "I was nothing if not a prepared, depressed millennial" is going on a shirt.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Death