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A review by romanaromana
Unbecoming by Jenny Downham
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
2 stars.
(Here are some content warnings. Nothing in this review).
I am merely underwhelmed. And I didn't get it.
For all her life, Katie has known her grandmother as nothing more than an unfamiliar figure who played no real part in her or her mother's life. But when she unexpectedly crashes into Katie's life with nowhere else to go and an unravelling mind filled with fast-fading memories, Katie realises she doesn't know the full story. Desperate to understand how the women before her really lived, Katie vows to find out all she can from her grandmother before her memories are lost forever, even if it means dragging her reluctant mother into the project. She can only hope that in piecing together the truth, she might find the parts of herself she has always felt were missing.
I'm not sure what Jenny Downham was trying to do with Unbecoming. The core of what the novel was really about felt hazy, leaving the overall plot quite weak and lacking in urgency. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to be interested in or focusing on. Sure, I was learning bits and pieces about the last three generations of Katie's family, but I didn't particularly care, especially when they were drip-fed with such sluggishness and rarity.
The general trudging motion of Unbecoming was not aided by Downham's slow and unexciting narration. I've felt a similar way about Downham's previous novels which all seemed to lack something which made them truly memorable, but on this occasion it was harder to ignore and ultimately made the novel lack vitality.
This was especially true in the chapters which focalised on Katie, because I didn't feel as though her youth or curiosity came through. The only things which reminded me that she were a teenager, were her very questionable, immature reactions. This may be something others read into differently, but I saw most of these as evidence of Downham's own adulthood - Katie's behaviour was stereotypical of how an adult (wrongfully) believes a teenager would react, in that 'moody, dramatic teen' type of way which I just find patronising and unfair.
What saved this from a lower rating was probably my curiosity. Despite the execution of the story being unimpressive, I did ultimately want to know more about Mary and her past. But when the revelations came through, I was sadly unimpressed all over again, and left feelings unsatisfied given how long I had to wait for things to come to light. The only real thing I got from it all was that parents sometimes lie to their kids, or something. I don't really know.
I've continued to invest in Jenny Downham's work since I've always been relatively happy with what I've read, even though they've never been big hitters. But I think this ties things off for me.
(Here are some content warnings. Nothing in this review).
I am merely underwhelmed. And I didn't get it.
For all her life, Katie has known her grandmother as nothing more than an unfamiliar figure who played no real part in her or her mother's life. But when she unexpectedly crashes into Katie's life with nowhere else to go and an unravelling mind filled with fast-fading memories, Katie realises she doesn't know the full story. Desperate to understand how the women before her really lived, Katie vows to find out all she can from her grandmother before her memories are lost forever, even if it means dragging her reluctant mother into the project. She can only hope that in piecing together the truth, she might find the parts of herself she has always felt were missing.
I'm not sure what Jenny Downham was trying to do with Unbecoming. The core of what the novel was really about felt hazy, leaving the overall plot quite weak and lacking in urgency. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to be interested in or focusing on. Sure, I was learning bits and pieces about the last three generations of Katie's family, but I didn't particularly care, especially when they were drip-fed with such sluggishness and rarity.
The general trudging motion of Unbecoming was not aided by Downham's slow and unexciting narration. I've felt a similar way about Downham's previous novels which all seemed to lack something which made them truly memorable, but on this occasion it was harder to ignore and ultimately made the novel lack vitality.
This was especially true in the chapters which focalised on Katie, because I didn't feel as though her youth or curiosity came through. The only things which reminded me that she were a teenager, were her very questionable, immature reactions. This may be something others read into differently, but I saw most of these as evidence of Downham's own adulthood - Katie's behaviour was stereotypical of how an adult (wrongfully) believes a teenager would react, in that 'moody, dramatic teen' type of way which I just find patronising and unfair.
What saved this from a lower rating was probably my curiosity. Despite the execution of the story being unimpressive, I did ultimately want to know more about Mary and her past. But when the revelations came through, I was sadly unimpressed all over again, and left feelings unsatisfied given how long I had to wait for things to come to light. The only real thing I got from it all was that parents sometimes lie to their kids, or something. I don't really know.
I've continued to invest in Jenny Downham's work since I've always been relatively happy with what I've read, even though they've never been big hitters. But I think this ties things off for me.