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sherwoodreads 's review for:
Under Rose-Tainted Skies
by Louise Gornall
I don't usually read Issue Books, but agoraphobia runs in my family, as does OCD. This book sounded interesting because of that, but also because of the tone, a brisk, sarcastic, often funny, as well as vivid and gritty first person narrator.
Norah tipped over the edge around puberty, which rang true. She has to step twice on the bottom step to make the number come out even. She is afraid of being touched because of others' germs. She can't go out her front door, so she lives on the Internet, forever scaring herself witless at articles about germs, pandemics, earthquakes, plane crashes . . . you get the idea.
Her mother does her best to cope--her mother is one of the many pluses in this book. But Norah, in spite of her awesome mother, and her equally awesome therapist, doesn't seem to be able to escape the cage her own brain has made for her.
Then she meets the boy next door.
This could so easily have gone south. The boy who solves everything--teen love conquers all--we've seen wish fulfillment stories along those lines, and although they feel good, they don't ring true, especially to the readers who feel a kinship with the problems the heroine is dealing with, whatever they may be.
Some readers might find Luke's steadfast kindness and willingness to stick it out too good to be true, but I've met teenage boys like that. They usually have their own backstories that have boosted their empathy quotient (teenage boys not being known for empathy while dealing with their own hormonal issues) but Gornall gives Luke a believable background as well as a lovely personality.
The book is very well written, vivid--almost too vivid in places. Gornall does not romanticize self-harm, which is such a relief. And Norah's clawing her way toward sanity is depicted in realistic baby steps, so it feels earned, and true.
Though mental health issues are a big part of what's driving the story, it is not about that, it's about a girl who copes, and tries to find her place in the world. Beginning with outside her bedroom. There is a sprinkling of salty language (including the f-bomb) but otherwise I think a smart younger teen could read this book and gain a great deal of insight.
Copy provided by NetGalley
Norah tipped over the edge around puberty, which rang true. She has to step twice on the bottom step to make the number come out even. She is afraid of being touched because of others' germs. She can't go out her front door, so she lives on the Internet, forever scaring herself witless at articles about germs, pandemics, earthquakes, plane crashes . . . you get the idea.
Her mother does her best to cope--her mother is one of the many pluses in this book. But Norah, in spite of her awesome mother, and her equally awesome therapist, doesn't seem to be able to escape the cage her own brain has made for her.
Then she meets the boy next door.
This could so easily have gone south. The boy who solves everything--teen love conquers all--we've seen wish fulfillment stories along those lines, and although they feel good, they don't ring true, especially to the readers who feel a kinship with the problems the heroine is dealing with, whatever they may be.
Some readers might find Luke's steadfast kindness and willingness to stick it out too good to be true, but I've met teenage boys like that. They usually have their own backstories that have boosted their empathy quotient (teenage boys not being known for empathy while dealing with their own hormonal issues) but Gornall gives Luke a believable background as well as a lovely personality.
The book is very well written, vivid--almost too vivid in places. Gornall does not romanticize self-harm, which is such a relief. And Norah's clawing her way toward sanity is depicted in realistic baby steps, so it feels earned, and true.
Though mental health issues are a big part of what's driving the story, it is not about that, it's about a girl who copes, and tries to find her place in the world. Beginning with outside her bedroom. There is a sprinkling of salty language (including the f-bomb) but otherwise I think a smart younger teen could read this book and gain a great deal of insight.
Copy provided by NetGalley