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A review by em_harring
Fig by Sarah Elizabeth Schantz
4.0
Per FTC guidelines: I received a digital copy of this book from Edelweiss for review; I'm not being paid for said review.
Fig follows the main character, Fig (or Fiona), through years six to seventeen. The novel chronicles Fig's desire to fix, and later care for, her schizophrenic mother. It's a heart wrenching novel about family, love, and growing up.
Fig is definitely a character novel. The plot is about the characters and how the progression of her mother's diseases affects young Fig's mental outlook on her own purpose and life. Fig's voice is great throughout the entire piece. Schantz captures the innocence and tone of youth, so Fig doesn't sound too cliche or overdone. She's a great character, and oftentimes the novel felt more like a memoir than a fictionalized story. That's how real Schantz made Fig and her family. And the novel does a wonderful job at portraying relationships between a daughter and her mother/father. I cared deeply for the family, and sometimes that's a hard thing to achieve.
I also thought that Schantz wrote about metal illness well. She portrayed the way to affects both the person who has the illness and the family, while making sure to stress how much of a disease it is without just painting the mother as 'crazy.' The degradation of the mother as the disease worsens is heartbreaking, and seeing Fig try to deal with it and fix it is equally as heartbreaking.
What helps the novel and drew me in off the bat was Schantz's writing. It's, at times, lyrical and poetic and awfully beautiful. She paints Fig's environment in such a whimsical way, it makes certain scenes shrouded in a dream like atmosphere.
I just really loved this book. I didn't much care for the last chapter, because it felt slightly out of character for everyone, but, the rest of the story is well executed. I highly recommend it.
Fig follows the main character, Fig (or Fiona), through years six to seventeen. The novel chronicles Fig's desire to fix, and later care for, her schizophrenic mother. It's a heart wrenching novel about family, love, and growing up.
Fig is definitely a character novel. The plot is about the characters and how the progression of her mother's diseases affects young Fig's mental outlook on her own purpose and life. Fig's voice is great throughout the entire piece. Schantz captures the innocence and tone of youth, so Fig doesn't sound too cliche or overdone. She's a great character, and oftentimes the novel felt more like a memoir than a fictionalized story. That's how real Schantz made Fig and her family. And the novel does a wonderful job at portraying relationships between a daughter and her mother/father. I cared deeply for the family, and sometimes that's a hard thing to achieve.
I also thought that Schantz wrote about metal illness well. She portrayed the way to affects both the person who has the illness and the family, while making sure to stress how much of a disease it is without just painting the mother as 'crazy.' The degradation of the mother as the disease worsens is heartbreaking, and seeing Fig try to deal with it and fix it is equally as heartbreaking.
What helps the novel and drew me in off the bat was Schantz's writing. It's, at times, lyrical and poetic and awfully beautiful. She paints Fig's environment in such a whimsical way, it makes certain scenes shrouded in a dream like atmosphere.
I just really loved this book. I didn't much care for the last chapter, because it felt slightly out of character for everyone, but, the rest of the story is well executed. I highly recommend it.