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A review by awashinfeeling
22 Britannia Road by Amanda Hodgkinson
2.0
When I first started reading this novel I didn't really know what to expect. The tone is gloomy and depressing, which feels natural at first since it's a story dealing with a family that has been separated and changed by the war. However, one thing that bothered me was that I found all the characters utterly despicable.
Maybe I am too harsh but at some point it just annoyed me how miserable they constantly were. It seemed that when there could have been a possible moment of happiness, they ruined it themselves by looking for things to make it a less enjoyable moment.
I also think that the story lacks character development. At the end of the novel, Silvana is still pretty much the same as in the beginning (not considering her physical appearance). Same could be said about Janusz although he seems to undergo more of a change than her. Aurek was the most likeable and well-rounded character, which made the novel better in my eyes.
Moreover, I couldn't identify with any of the characters either because we literally learn nothing about them. We learn a little bit about the different characters but definitely not enough to feel for them and their fate. It is too bad, it could have been so much more.
Maybe I am too harsh but at some point it just annoyed me how miserable they constantly were. It seemed that when there could have been a possible moment of happiness, they ruined it themselves by looking for things to make it a less enjoyable moment.
I also think that the story lacks character development. At the end of the novel, Silvana is still pretty much the same as in the beginning (not considering her physical appearance). Same could be said about Janusz although he seems to undergo more of a change than her. Aurek was the most likeable and well-rounded character, which made the novel better in my eyes.
Moreover, I couldn't identify with any of the characters either because we literally learn nothing about them. We learn a little bit about the different characters but definitely not enough to feel for them and their fate. It is too bad, it could have been so much more.