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A review by emjrasmussen
52 Reasons to Hate My Father by Jessica Brody
“My father is going to kill me.”
And thus begins 52 Reasons to Hate My Father, a hilarious comedy full of blunders, triumphs, and all different kinds of love.
Lexi quickly amends that statement, though, going on to say that he will actually send someone to do it for him and enumerating a few of the times he has hired surrogate parents to take his place. Brody wastes no time laying their relationship bare and develops it in depth throughout the course of the story. The father-daughter give and take portrayed in this book is common in YA novels about wealthy teenagers, but because this one makes up a main storyline rather than a subplot, it receives more elaboration. By giving it plenty of attention, Brody keeps Lexi’s relationship with her father from becoming a cliché. The author instead adds original details and gives the characters’ tense feelings a surprising backstory.
Lexi’s father becomes a major component in her characterization, as his strange punishment affects his daughter’s personality more than any normal discipline would. At the beginning, Lexi is as spoiled and apathetic as one would expect, but as she stumbles over menial work while readers look on laughing, she grows so much. Lexi learns from the jobs themselves, and her father also aids her progression by indicating that he does not believe in her but giving her a reason to prove him wrong.
The plot, while it could be noted solely for its hilarity and character development, also features a strong storyline about a secret the Larabee clan is hiding. As Lexi travels closer to the truth, her questions not only provide suspense, but illuminate her parent’s questionable actions. By discovering the pain of her father’s past, Lexi grows to understand his behavior toward her, which provides the final missing piece in their steadily improving relationship.
Sweet, funny, and unrealistically true, 52 Reasons to Hate My Father is a delightful book that will leave readers laughing, empathizing, and thinking about what it means to be family. Each scene shows forward movement in Lexi’s relationship with her father, making this book a memorable story about what people do for those they love. And in this case, that happens to involve a large amount of fast food tomato slicing.
This review originally appeared at www.litup-review.com.
And thus begins 52 Reasons to Hate My Father, a hilarious comedy full of blunders, triumphs, and all different kinds of love.
Lexi quickly amends that statement, though, going on to say that he will actually send someone to do it for him and enumerating a few of the times he has hired surrogate parents to take his place. Brody wastes no time laying their relationship bare and develops it in depth throughout the course of the story. The father-daughter give and take portrayed in this book is common in YA novels about wealthy teenagers, but because this one makes up a main storyline rather than a subplot, it receives more elaboration. By giving it plenty of attention, Brody keeps Lexi’s relationship with her father from becoming a cliché. The author instead adds original details and gives the characters’ tense feelings a surprising backstory.
Lexi’s father becomes a major component in her characterization, as his strange punishment affects his daughter’s personality more than any normal discipline would. At the beginning, Lexi is as spoiled and apathetic as one would expect, but as she stumbles over menial work while readers look on laughing, she grows so much. Lexi learns from the jobs themselves, and her father also aids her progression by indicating that he does not believe in her but giving her a reason to prove him wrong.
The plot, while it could be noted solely for its hilarity and character development, also features a strong storyline about a secret the Larabee clan is hiding. As Lexi travels closer to the truth, her questions not only provide suspense, but illuminate her parent’s questionable actions. By discovering the pain of her father’s past, Lexi grows to understand his behavior toward her, which provides the final missing piece in their steadily improving relationship.
Sweet, funny, and unrealistically true, 52 Reasons to Hate My Father is a delightful book that will leave readers laughing, empathizing, and thinking about what it means to be family. Each scene shows forward movement in Lexi’s relationship with her father, making this book a memorable story about what people do for those they love. And in this case, that happens to involve a large amount of fast food tomato slicing.
This review originally appeared at www.litup-review.com.