Unfortunately, there seems to be too heavy a focus on minor characters in places where you are led to believe hold more importance than the story gives them credit for and it can be a little frustrating. Admittedly, this may have been done to reflect the confusing time our protagonist is going through, but the unfocused nature - while fun to draw meaning from after the fact - doesn’t make for as much of an interesting read. The story never sits still, so to speak, and it doesn’t give you a chance to really mull over or reflect on what should be big events, having just a few pages to explore the consequences or successes characters bring about. It felt as if a lot of the scenes were being put into the book just because it sounded like a good idea, without putting much thought into how this would actively affect dynamics outside of one minor detail that in the grand scheme of things felt unimportant.

Characterisation, on another note, in Cry Baby Cry … Or Not contains some interesting choices. For example, the mothers disability seems to be poorly represented, with her sign language being described as ‘she said’ constantly (which isn’t how you portray the way an individual signs if they are not actively using speech). I particularly take issue with labelling being deaf and mute as a curse, as it paints a really bleak and dehumanising reflection on people who are actually deaf.  Characters will be killed off with no repercussions as the only person to truly care about their murder also dies in completely unrelated circumstances, rendering any character development almost impossible.