A review by anjaliiiiiii
Edge Case by YZ Chin

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Read this all in one day, it was really good. I didn’t really read the synopsis before picking up this book, and I think going in without expectations helped me enjoy the book more. 

I loved how the book was written from the perspective of Edwina speaking to a therapist. That frame supported all of the internal turmoil, the back-and-forth style of narrating memories vs present day events, and the off-handed allusions to Edwina’s past that had previously been unexplained

for example the casual  mention of her self-harm scars which then does not get brought up again

. It reminded me of my own experiences in therapy in some ways. Though I am very different from Edwina, I felt very connected to her and saw myself in her quite a bit too. 

As someone interested in psychology, I also kept thinking about how minority stress was playing a role in Edwina’s challenges throughout the book. So good. 

Some themes/motifs I’m still thinking of:
- transitions to and from vegetarianism, the kinds of meat eaten 
- unreliable narration/looking at what’s left out/how E speaks to the therapist
- past life stories!
- relationship with body & mental health; looking at it with a kaleidoscope- how do her family, her partner, the structures she navigates shape what she’s experiencing internally & vice versa