A review by shancraic
Boy Parts by Eliza Clark

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

loved loved loved. i get that this is a Shocking Statement for the girlies who have no idea how to describe this beyond 'um... female american psycho?' but i loved the main character and identified with her in a lot of ways - we share a very similar background (live in the same place in the UK, even!) and it was almost like looking into a very fucked up alternate dimension in a way. i felt sorry for her and i wanted to succeed and i know that realistically, she can't, and she's doomed to be her mother and to get worse and to rot, but that urge to be SEEN and KNOWN spoke to me so distinctly there was no way i just couldn't love her even despite her terrible cruelty and the things she'd done. 

the book WAS wobbly at parts, will probably age poorly for things that are admittedly funny now but will be nigh incoherent to anyone reading this in 20 years time, and the ending is a bit of a dealbreaker for some (not me, and not after the disappointment of our wives under the sea - that WAS a stinker) but ultimately, it crafted a world that i could understand and relate to in so many ways. really special book for me.
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