Scan barcode
A review by decklededgess
Something Wild & Wonderful by Anita Kelly
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
trigger warnings: alcohol, death of family member, dementia/alzheimer's, emotionally abusive and toxic relationships, grief, homophobia and slurs, depression and anxiety, physical injury, religious bigotry
How do you explain a book that made you properly sob for the first time in six years... Like fully ouch my feelings were wrecked.
Anita Kelly takes on religious trauma and unlearning internalized homophobia in a very physical journey to self discovery as Alexei decides to walk the Pacific Crest Trail. His emotional development through the stages of grief of being disowned by his parents paired with him finally allowing himself the freedom to fall in love was the perfect emotional concoction of bittersweet. I found myself deeply relating to his journey of self acceptance, finally allowing himself to feel love and explore his sexuality in a way that wasn't formulaic or squirreled away like a dirty little secret.
Ben was also such a sweet lead. I didn't expect a POV for him because Alexei's story was the core of the book but Ben's path to healing from emotionally manipulative ex boyfriends was also a tender storyline that complimented Alexei's so well. In fact Alexei's story to accepting his softer self and Ben's story of accepting love that strengthens him were perfectly complimented in ways I didn't expect. I also really loved reading about Ben's family, his struggles with academics, and his nurturing tendencies that made him who he was.
Ben and Alexei are also both neurodivergent, which was delightful to come across. It's a new habit of mine to pick out traits in "grumpy" characters that code them as autistic (although the grumpy part is not always the case). So I was right on the money in figuring out Alexei is autistic. It isn't a central part of the story, but it's a central part of his personality that does get acknowledged later in the book. It was good to read neurodivergent plot lines that weren't the central part of the book. They make us who we are but they do not declare our whole selves. Same goes for Ben and his ADHD. That isn't explored explicitly in the story but the markers are there for anyone who can recognize the behaviours.
I love this book with all my heart. Anita Kelly has written some of the most exquisite books I've read in the past few years and I cannot wait to read everything else they put out in the future.
How do you explain a book that made you properly sob for the first time in six years... Like fully ouch my feelings were wrecked.
Anita Kelly takes on religious trauma and unlearning internalized homophobia in a very physical journey to self discovery as Alexei decides to walk the Pacific Crest Trail. His emotional development through the stages of grief of being disowned by his parents paired with him finally allowing himself the freedom to fall in love was the perfect emotional concoction of bittersweet. I found myself deeply relating to his journey of self acceptance, finally allowing himself to feel love and explore his sexuality in a way that wasn't formulaic or squirreled away like a dirty little secret.
Ben was also such a sweet lead. I didn't expect a POV for him because Alexei's story was the core of the book but Ben's path to healing from emotionally manipulative ex boyfriends was also a tender storyline that complimented Alexei's so well. In fact Alexei's story to accepting his softer self and Ben's story of accepting love that strengthens him were perfectly complimented in ways I didn't expect. I also really loved reading about Ben's family, his struggles with academics, and his nurturing tendencies that made him who he was.
Ben and Alexei are also both neurodivergent, which was delightful to come across. It's a new habit of mine to pick out traits in "grumpy" characters that code them as autistic (although the grumpy part is not always the case). So I was right on the money in figuring out Alexei is autistic. It isn't a central part of the story, but it's a central part of his personality that does get acknowledged later in the book. It was good to read neurodivergent plot lines that weren't the central part of the book. They make us who we are but they do not declare our whole selves. Same goes for Ben and his ADHD. That isn't explored explicitly in the story but the markers are there for anyone who can recognize the behaviours.
I love this book with all my heart. Anita Kelly has written some of the most exquisite books I've read in the past few years and I cannot wait to read everything else they put out in the future.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Death, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Mental illness, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, and Dementia