A review by booksaremypeople
Justine by Forsyth Harmon

5.0

Justine is a unique coming of age novel. In this story, Ali lives with her Days-of-our-Lives obsessed grandmother. When Ali gets a job working at the Stop & Shop she is drawn to her fellow coworker, Justine, who is a free-spirited enigma. The late nineties references were pitch perfect and Ali’s voice is so fresh Harmon’s writing is so sharp and her descriptions so creative, I was in awe of her writing down to the word level. In addition to this story about a young woman so wanting to be like someone she idolizes, Justine also includes delightful drawings that breakup the narrative. Seemingly mundane objects such as tweezers, powerlines and pizza slices take on import as the meaningful things that fill Ali’s life. Thank you to Tin House and NetGalley for the advanced review copy.