A review by kaileehaong
I Keep My Exoskeletons to Myself by Marisa Crane

adventurous dark emotional inspiring sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Very cool concept here—a society in which transgressions are worn literally on your sleeve, in the form of additional “shadows” that appear when you’ve been convicted of some wrongdoing. The visibility of the multiple shadows ostracizes and outcasts. A single window raises her child (born with two shadows) and navigates their society, finding hardship and chosen family along the way. 

Drawbacks for me were occasional moments in which the child felt older than she actually was intended to be (read: too complex of dialogue for a young child to be convincing), and some graphic sexual encounters.