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A review by thimblewhim
Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
The world building is reaaaally weak. It has potential, but as readers we're left just as clueless as the main character. It's hard to feel and understand the societal oppression and apocalyptic dystopia when we're just sitting in a prison cell with Juliette for a good portion of the book, when she has nothing to do all day except ogle Adam and reminisce on memories that the character/author refuses to share.
We pick up on how tense and miserable and (in)sane the main character is due to her isolation and trauma. But it just slogs on and on with her angst and self loathing for most of the book. I couldn't understand her obsession with Adam, and vice versa. It... didn't make sense and didn't feel believable. And suddenly a character who has never known touch, love, or safety, all of sudden knows and recognizes what it means to feel all three of those things. As a trauma-informed educator, I couldn't suspend my disbelief and buy into that change, especially when it happened in the blink of an eye. Warner was a lot more believable in that way tbh! Most often, the children that are touch deprived when they are young grow up and develop touch avoidance and sensitivity. Often, not always, I know, but she adjusted really quickly.
We pick up on how tense and miserable and (in)sane the main character is due to her isolation and trauma. But it just slogs on and on with her angst and self loathing for most of the book. I couldn't understand her obsession with Adam, and vice versa. It... didn't make sense and didn't feel believable. And suddenly a character who has never known touch, love, or safety, all of sudden knows and recognizes what it means to feel all three of those things. As a trauma-informed educator, I couldn't suspend my disbelief and buy into that change, especially when it happened in the blink of an eye. Warner was a lot more believable in that way tbh! Most often, the children that are touch deprived when they are young grow up and develop touch avoidance and sensitivity. Often, not always, I know, but she adjusted really quickly.
Content Warnings