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A review by stateofgrace
Self-Portrait with Nothing by Aimee Pokwatka
4.25
I really liked the character of Pepper. Her character flaw - pushing people away to avoid them abandoning her like her birth mother did - felt very real because it was grounded in her past experiences. I thought that her obsession with alternate universes was an interesting vehicle for character growth - she went from constantly imagining a better universe for herself (and for her husband, Ike) to finally feeling content in her own universe. I like the dynamic between Pepper and Ike - I thought that it was cute how they constantly shared fun and interesting facts with each other.
The character of Ula was an interesting commentary on neglectful and narcissistic parents. The fact that she ruined the lives of so many of her alternate selves just because she was lonely (a consequence of her inability to compromise with her sister). The fact that she never cared about the consequences of her talent, never realizing that just because she could do something doesn't mean that she should. The fact that she claimed that everything she did was for Pepper when she never did a single thing for her daughter - everything she ever did was for herself. It all added up to create a character that was so deeply flawed and so intensely unlikeable.
Overall I really liked this book, but I ended up taking some points off of my rating because the plot took SO LONG to get to the parts that I found interesting. Plus, for so much of the book, Pepper was spending time one-on-one with Scott, and yet they never developed a relationship. This is odd because being unable to develop healthy relationships was a part of Pepper's character flaw. I would have expected her forming a friendship with Scott to be a part of her character growth. Scott as a character was never really wrapped up, either.
The character of Ula was an interesting commentary on neglectful and narcissistic parents. The fact that she ruined the lives of so many of her alternate selves just because she was lonely (a consequence of her inability to compromise with her sister). The fact that she never cared about the consequences of her talent, never realizing that just because she could do something doesn't mean that she should. The fact that she claimed that everything she did was for Pepper when she never did a single thing for her daughter - everything she ever did was for herself. It all added up to create a character that was so deeply flawed and so intensely unlikeable.
Overall I really liked this book, but I ended up taking some points off of my rating because the plot took SO LONG to get to the parts that I found interesting. Plus, for so much of the book, Pepper was spending time one-on-one with Scott, and yet they never developed a relationship. This is odd because being unable to develop healthy relationships was a part of Pepper's character flaw. I would have expected her forming a friendship with Scott to be a part of her character growth. Scott as a character was never really wrapped up, either.