Scan barcode
A review by crufts
This Winter by Alice Oseman
hopeful
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
A cute little story in the Solitaire/Heartstopper/etc universe. Occurs midway through Heartstopper after Charlie has been treated for an eating disorder, just before Solitaire begins.
It's Christmas at the Spring household, and 15-year-old Charlie Spring has just returned from his stint as an inpatient at a psychiatric ward. His sister Tori is supportive, but the rest of the family greets him with a combination of well-meaning and ill-meaning ignorance. What's a mentally ill boy to do?
The scope of the story is small (one main conflict, one resolution), but it was enough to carry this easily-read 120-page novel.
The changes of viewpoint (first Tori's point of view, then Charlie's, then their younger brother Oliver's) added variety and gave us the scoop from multiple angles.
A solid short-story structure is followed, and all of the characters felt consistent with their other depictions.
I could also see that Tori was being set up for her appearance in Solitaire, but didn't feel it overshadowed the main plot thread with Charlie.
Best of all, the book is filled with delightful illustrations in the same style as the Heartstopper webcomic. These were just great and brought several scenes to life, and bumped up my book review score here. I wish all of the author's books had illustrations like this.
On the negative side, some of the dialogue between Nick and Charlie felt a little clunky and heavy-handed, e.g."I think sometimes," says Nick, "you're so scared of being a burden that it makes you terrified to ask for help. But you have lots of people around you that would be there for you, if you opened up about what help you need." These pearls of wisdom sounded strange coming out of the mouth of 15-year-old Nick . However, this is a minor complaint and didn't detract much from my enjoyment.
Interestingly, the author omits virtually all the specifics of Charlie's eating disorder except to note that it's anorexia. Even when he's the first-person narrator, none of his specific ED-related thoughts or actions are recorded. This is unlike most books with ED-suffering narrators, e.g. Wintergirls, where all the gory details are laid out for us to see.
This is definitely a deliberate choice from the author, who did the same thing in the Heartstopper comic - we are told, not shown, that Charlie has an ED. Despite the fact that "show, don't tell!" is a writing maxim, I can understand why she chose to do this since it redirects our attention to the Spring family dynamics. I suspect the author also wanted to avoid triggering the EDs of any readers, and I think this writing choice accomplished that. On the other hand, some readers may be frustrated by how the novel skirts around the issue, since they won't find specific details they can relate to.
Overall, a sweet, cozy short story for fans of Heartstopper and Solitaire. You might also like the later novella, Nick and Charlie.
It's Christmas at the Spring household, and 15-year-old Charlie Spring has just returned from his stint as an inpatient at a psychiatric ward. His sister Tori is supportive, but the rest of the family greets him with a combination of well-meaning and ill-meaning ignorance. What's a mentally ill boy to do?
The scope of the story is small (one main conflict, one resolution), but it was enough to carry this easily-read 120-page novel.
The changes of viewpoint (first Tori's point of view, then Charlie's, then their younger brother Oliver's) added variety and gave us the scoop from multiple angles.
A solid short-story structure is followed, and all of the characters felt consistent with their other depictions.
I could also see that Tori was being set up for her appearance in Solitaire, but didn't feel it overshadowed the main plot thread with Charlie.
Best of all, the book is filled with delightful illustrations in the same style as the Heartstopper webcomic. These were just great and brought several scenes to life, and bumped up my book review score here. I wish all of the author's books had illustrations like this.
On the negative side, some of the dialogue between Nick and Charlie felt a little clunky and heavy-handed, e.g.
Interestingly, the author omits virtually all the specifics of Charlie's eating disorder except to note that it's anorexia. Even when he's the first-person narrator, none of his specific ED-related thoughts or actions are recorded. This is unlike most books with ED-suffering narrators, e.g. Wintergirls, where all the gory details are laid out for us to see.
This is definitely a deliberate choice from the author, who did the same thing in the Heartstopper comic - we are told, not shown, that Charlie has an ED. Despite the fact that "show, don't tell!" is a writing maxim, I can understand why she chose to do this since it redirects our attention to the Spring family dynamics. I suspect the author also wanted to avoid triggering the EDs of any readers, and I think this writing choice accomplished that. On the other hand, some readers may be frustrated by how the novel skirts around the issue, since they won't find specific details they can relate to.
Overall, a sweet, cozy short story for fans of Heartstopper and Solitaire. You might also like the later novella, Nick and Charlie.
Content Warnings
Minor: Eating disorder and Mental illness
No specifics of Charlie's anorexia are given - no disordered thoughts or actions are spelled out. Mental illness is also referenced but no detail is given.