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dunayevsky 's review for:
Butter
by Erin Jade Lange
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'm going to write a rather long-winded review on this one, because it's gotten me in 2 arguments so far and I'm a ranter.
So, the minor rant first:
I read a lot of the reviews before reading the book, couldn't help myself, and have talked about this one to a few people. Many of the pushback was pulling for fatphobia or how it handles suicide or how Butter is unrelatable and hard to sympathise/empathize with...it's literally a book about a morbidly obese 16 year old boy saying he's going to publically eat himself to death AND it's a 1st person POV YA novel.
What did you expect when deciding to read the book? A reliable, emotionally sound narrator making good decisions and being a good example for other teens? Of course not. He's not logical, makes terrible choices, and other people sound like High School trope charicatures...it's through Butter's character lens.
He's not there to be a contemporary mouthpiece for sensitive topics. It's a novel. He's a character study. *It's not that deep.*
Okay rant over, and now time for review things.
How I ended up picking up a YA novel in a *school setting* is beyond me, but here I am, sold on the stupid book - by Part 2, hook, line, and sinker.
- Not going to lie, based on the blurb I was scared I'd get into it and it be another awkward feederism / kink book, but thankfully that was avoided. Instead it's just...what it is. Butter's such a gross narrator, somehow never really bettering himself and just wallowing in his emotional swingset - great character voice in the prose to lead us alongside him. It's perfect. I loved it.
- my only major gripe? The author doesn't know anything about diabetes, it feels like. But if you're willing to ignore that, which is impossible for me to do because I have 1 braincell on a good day and it's obsessed with medical/anatomical garbo, then it's fine.
- not a fan of the ending - I expected it to end how it did (girl gives him a chance, his life is looking up, starts losing weight, etc) - but I wanted the actual Livestream to hit harder when instead it was gleaned over VERY quickly, and it felt almost like the wrap-up was *too good* for the tone of the rest of the book. But I see why it was done that way, and I feel like an uplifting ending fits well and delivers the character redemption arc best.
All in all? Good book. It's on the rec list for sure
So, the minor rant first:
I read a lot of the reviews before reading the book, couldn't help myself, and have talked about this one to a few people. Many of the pushback was pulling for fatphobia or how it handles suicide or how Butter is unrelatable and hard to sympathise/empathize with...it's literally a book about a morbidly obese 16 year old boy saying he's going to publically eat himself to death AND it's a 1st person POV YA novel.
What did you expect when deciding to read the book? A reliable, emotionally sound narrator making good decisions and being a good example for other teens? Of course not. He's not logical, makes terrible choices, and other people sound like High School trope charicatures...it's through Butter's character lens.
He's not there to be a contemporary mouthpiece for sensitive topics. It's a novel. He's a character study. *It's not that deep.*
Okay rant over, and now time for review things.
How I ended up picking up a YA novel in a *school setting* is beyond me, but here I am, sold on the stupid book - by Part 2, hook, line, and sinker.
- Not going to lie, based on the blurb I was scared I'd get into it and it be another awkward feederism / kink book, but thankfully that was avoided. Instead it's just...what it is. Butter's such a gross narrator, somehow never really bettering himself and just wallowing in his emotional swingset - great character voice in the prose to lead us alongside him. It's perfect. I loved it.
- my only major gripe? The author doesn't know anything about diabetes, it feels like. But if you're willing to ignore that, which is impossible for me to do because I have 1 braincell on a good day and it's obsessed with medical/anatomical garbo, then it's fine.
- not a fan of the ending - I expected it to end how it did (girl gives him a chance, his life is looking up, starts losing weight, etc) - but I wanted the actual Livestream to hit harder when instead it was gleaned over VERY quickly, and it felt almost like the wrap-up was *too good* for the tone of the rest of the book. But I see why it was done that way, and I feel like an uplifting ending fits well and delivers the character redemption arc best.
All in all? Good book. It's on the rec list for sure