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_dosia_ 's review for:
A Terrible Kindness
by Jo Browning Wroe
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a well written book, but not what it was set up to be.
I have to preface with saying I have mixed feelings about fictionalizing real tragedies, and I found myself wishing that Jo came up with a fictional mining disaster based on Aberfan, rather than using the real thing, especially since it didn't play a part in much of the story. It felt a bit in bad taste.
The opening in Aberfan immediately after the disaster was like a gut-punch and by the end of the short first part I was pretty teary over the horrifying events. But then we go into a fairly slow, quiet and domestic second part where William is a chorister in a boarding school. It's quite tropey, nothing much happens and it's obviously just a set up for the rest of the story. The writing or even content itself isn't bad, it's just...jarring after reading about Aberfan.
By the second half where William is doing his embalming training I was a lot more settled into the narrative so the simple domesticity and low-stakes dramas were a lot more enjoyable. I also found the relationship between William and Gloria charming, and all the characters were engaging. The discussions on PTSD, child d*ath, miscarriages and sexuality were done respectfully and were really touching. Jo obviously did a lot of research, particularly on embalming.
The opening dedication to the embalmers that went to help, and to the people of Aberfan, was touching and after reading the acknowledgements it's comforting to know Jo spoke with the actual Aberfan embalmers and people affected by the tragedy, but I still wish she had fictionalized the whole thing.
I have to preface with saying I have mixed feelings about fictionalizing real tragedies, and I found myself wishing that Jo came up with a fictional mining disaster based on Aberfan, rather than using the real thing, especially since it didn't play a part in much of the story. It felt a bit in bad taste.
The opening in Aberfan immediately after the disaster was like a gut-punch and by the end of the short first part I was pretty teary over the horrifying events. But then we go into a fairly slow, quiet and domestic second part where William is a chorister in a boarding school. It's quite tropey, nothing much happens and it's obviously just a set up for the rest of the story. The writing or even content itself isn't bad, it's just...jarring after reading about Aberfan.
By the second half where William is doing his embalming training I was a lot more settled into the narrative so the simple domesticity and low-stakes dramas were a lot more enjoyable. I also found the relationship between William and Gloria charming, and all the characters were engaging. The discussions on PTSD, child d*ath, miscarriages and sexuality were done respectfully and were really touching. Jo obviously did a lot of research, particularly on embalming.
The opening dedication to the embalmers that went to help, and to the people of Aberfan, was touching and after reading the acknowledgements it's comforting to know Jo spoke with the actual Aberfan embalmers and people affected by the tragedy, but I still wish she had fictionalized the whole thing.