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A review by selena74321
At the Edge of the Haight by Katherine Seligman
adventurous
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Outside of reading the basic synopsis on the dust cover of the book, I went into this book blind. When I first began reading, I found myself quite excited about the premise, thinking this was going to be one of my favorite books.
I adore books that give me a chance to step into the shoes of someone with a life vastly different from mine, so I was excited when I found out that we were following Maddy, a young adult living on the streets of San Francisco. To make it even better, it seemed like it was going to integrate mystery into the book. The premise was perfect - an unhoused 20-something witnesses the death of a young boy, and has to find a way to cope with the mental repercussions.
As the story went on, it seemed increasingly misguided. They made it seem like we’d get some positive resolution for Maddy after the long scenes with Shane’s parents, or that the murderer himself would make more of an appearance and leave a negative impact on Maddy’s life. The book set up so much, but didn’t have much payoff at the end. In fact, the book ended very abruptly and left me in a state of confusion. During the entire book, Maddy didn’t want to see her mom because it hurt her to know how far gone she was from her mental illness. Dave and his wife kept mentioning that Maddy’s parents probably wanted to know more about her and how she was doing. Maddy was stubborn, and resolved never to speak to her mother again. I’m unclear where the turnaround for Maddy was. There was no climax to the story.
Also, I loved the idea of Maddy’s perspective giving the reader empathy for the unhoused populations around us, but I was a bit confused to see that the author had never been unhoused. She had just lived in SF for a long time. I hope she did some research before writing this, at least.
Ultimately, because of the first part, I feel comfortable giving it 3.75 stars. However, due to the lack of an ending and emotional payoff, I cannot give it much more.
I adore books that give me a chance to step into the shoes of someone with a life vastly different from mine, so I was excited when I found out that we were following Maddy, a young adult living on the streets of San Francisco. To make it even better, it seemed like it was going to integrate mystery into the book. The premise was perfect - an unhoused 20-something witnesses the death of a young boy, and has to find a way to cope with the mental repercussions.
As the story went on, it seemed increasingly misguided. They made it seem like we’d get some positive resolution for Maddy after the long scenes with Shane’s parents, or that the murderer himself would make more of an appearance and leave a negative impact on Maddy’s life. The book set up so much, but didn’t have much payoff at the end. In fact, the book ended very abruptly and left me in a state of confusion.
Also, I loved the idea of Maddy’s perspective giving the reader empathy for the unhoused populations around us, but I was a bit confused to see that the author had never been unhoused. She had just lived in SF for a long time. I hope she did some research before writing this, at least.
Ultimately, because of the first part, I feel comfortable giving it 3.75 stars. However, due to the lack of an ending and emotional payoff, I cannot give it much more.