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tracey1981 's review for:
I Have Some Questions For You
by Rebecca Makkai
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a gripping read, expertly narrated by Julia Whelan. It gave me a lot to think about that’s hard to synthesize in a review but here are a few thoughts…
What I liked:
-the narrative voice that addresses a character as “you,” about whom we learn more as the book goes on
-the reflection on the casual and insidious misogyny and violence against women and kids that so often goes ignored, and how deeply it affects us all
-related to the above, there were a lot of things about coming of age in the 90s that deeply resonated for me
-the way young people (teens mostly) were treated with respect, as intelligent contributors to the world
-I liked that it wrestled with the complexities of holding people accountable and seeking justice for individuals while steeped in systemic injustice
-the loose threads that were left at the end, although unsatisfying, felt pretty realistic to me
What I didn’t:
-I wanted more reflection on systemic racism to intersect with the gender politics. There was some, but I wanted more depth
-I squirmed a lot and HATED how the characters who were witnesses and supposed to be sequestered kept talking with each other and with the media. That went on for way too long and was way too much. I’m sure that happens a lot IRL but I hated it.
I’ll be thinking about this book for a long while.
What I liked:
-the narrative voice that addresses a character as “you,” about whom we learn more as the book goes on
-the reflection on the casual and insidious misogyny and violence against women and kids that so often goes ignored, and how deeply it affects us all
-related to the above, there were a lot of things about coming of age in the 90s that deeply resonated for me
-the way young people (teens mostly) were treated with respect, as intelligent contributors to the world
-I liked that it wrestled with the complexities of holding people accountable and seeking justice for individuals while steeped in systemic injustice
-the loose threads that were left at the end, although unsatisfying, felt pretty realistic to me
What I didn’t:
-I wanted more reflection on systemic racism to intersect with the gender politics. There was some, but I wanted more depth
-I squirmed a lot and HATED how the characters who were witnesses and supposed to be sequestered kept talking with each other and with the media. That went on for way too long and was way too much. I’m sure that happens a lot IRL but I hated it.
I’ll be thinking about this book for a long while.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Murder