I read all of the Goodreads Awards winners of the last 10 years in the Debut category. This was the 2013 winner. To hear all my thoughts, check out this video.

This really worked for me, though it's certainly one of those books that I understand why it doesn't work for everyone. It's a character-driven book that is a little strange and that melds the darkness of the themes and certain plot points with a sometimes irreverent, sometimes tongue-in-cheek sense of humor and tone. It feels like a quirkier version of a disaster-girl novel with even a splash of magical realism.

I think the make-it-or-break-it element is whether or not you feel invested in the main character, and I did. A lot of these characters feel like close archetypes, from the precocious child to the nosey neighbor, to the aloof scientist, but they get a bit of new life in this story that plays with tone and is sometimes even a bit absurd.

My only real complaint is that I wish it were a bit shorter and tighter and that it pulled a bit back on the big speeches and some of the big on-the-nose feminism.