A review by heidi_downing
You Exist Too Much by Zaina Arafat

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

3.0

For me, this was an above average book (but only just). The concepts for the plot and range of themes were clever, diverse and relevant. However, the way it is written feels overly choppy in quite a jolting way. It felt like it was jumping from timelines and location way too regularly, sometimes multiple times a chapter (or even a page) making it hard to seamlessly read and enjoy. The result of this didn't always feel relevant as in the author was trying to cover too much detail and backstories and then never returning to them at a later point making the inclusion feel rather redundant at times. The most moving sections focused on the development and destruction of the mother/daughter relationship which was ultimately trauma-fuelled and fractured but very beautifully articulated in a heart-breaking way. There was never really a point I felt I sided with the protagonist, she was an incredibly messy character who just seemed to push everyone away. Considering the book was more or less plotless, the whole concept focused on the development of the main character, due to this it was often hard to stick with considering she was so dislikeable and I didn't agree with all of her decisions and behaviour. I really liked the portrayal of the character Renata and felt friendship was a strong theme to the foundation of the book.
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