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A review by n0rain
If We Had Known by Elise Juska
4.0
This book was gripping! Juska did an excellent job of managing multiple characters with multiple storylines that all connected in the end. The language was beautiful and the dialogue was believable and realistic. There were a couple of spots where the figurative language overpowered what it was trying to do and pulled me out of the story. I also thought the last line could’ve been… different. The very last page was kind of underwhelming and I thought the ending was abrupt.
The story is told in a rotating 3rd person limited narration POV, which is challenging to pull off, but Juska does it beautifully. There’s an excellent balance between imagery, figurative language, and a twisting plot that kept me guessing.
Anna was my favorite character and by far the most interesting. Her struggles with anxiety and anorexia and very realistic (to the point where if you’ve experienced this, it could be a little upsetting), and I really felt like Juska did Anna’s struggles justice. I was on the edge of my seat for most of Anna’s chapters.
I actually had the pleasure of meeting the author recently, and she is a lovely person. If you’re looking for an engaging, relevant, and beautifully-written story, this is the book for you!
The story is told in a rotating 3rd person limited narration POV, which is challenging to pull off, but Juska does it beautifully. There’s an excellent balance between imagery, figurative language, and a twisting plot that kept me guessing.
Anna was my favorite character and by far the most interesting. Her struggles with anxiety and anorexia and very realistic (to the point where if you’ve experienced this, it could be a little upsetting), and I really felt like Juska did Anna’s struggles justice. I was on the edge of my seat for most of Anna’s chapters.
I actually had the pleasure of meeting the author recently, and she is a lovely person. If you’re looking for an engaging, relevant, and beautifully-written story, this is the book for you!