A review by serendipitysbooks
Poor Deer by Claire Oshetsky

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 Poor Deer is the story of Margaret Murray who, at the age of 4, played a role in the death of her neighbourhood playmate. Her mother never permitted her to speak of it again. Now, more than a decade later Poor Deer (a manifestation of her shame) is forcing her to confront her grief and guilt, reckon with her conscience and memory and admit the truth of what happened that day. A clever concept that was executed well, although it does require an attentive reader. It’s an excellent example of why leaving children to process trauma alone is a bad idea. There’s also a sapphic storyline in the background which really tugged at my heartstrings. 
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