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danaaliyalevinson's reviews
97 reviews
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Death, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Grief, Murder
Minor: War
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
The characters are beautiful. Markley does a wonderful job at anchoring this story about a crisis that could seem too didactic for literary tension in very real and three dimensional characters. And through this inherent tying of these people that I grew to love to the climate crisis, otherwise didactic developments like the failure or success of a bill, or an extreme weather event, or a working group to draft legislation, suddenly take on hugely important meaning. Like, sometimes I was like, why am I crying that they’re forming a working group to draft legislation? It was because Markley so deftly and completely drew the characters and the ways their lives revolved around trying to solve this crisis, and the way their lives had also been affected by it. So global developments felt startlingly personal.
I did occasionally find myself wrestling with the almost early aughts disaster movie plotting that occasionally cropped up, and more than one instance of characters being saved by deus ex machina. I also sometimes felt that the unraveling of the social order was painted in broad strokes.
But at the end of the day, these quibbles pale in comparison to the strengths of this novel, which manages to be prophecy and path forward. And through the deep humanity of its characters, manages to take a topic that could feel dry, and instead makes it startlingly alive and human.
Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Cancer, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Suicide, Terminal illness, Medical content, Dementia, Death of parent
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I am so glad I did.
This book is ostensibly about two sisters navigating two very different pregnancies. However, one of them also brings us into the lives of other women she meets, almost taking us through a short story like structure. Without spoilers, there are also some fourth wall breaks that are deployed with such stunning restraint and precision that the emotional effect was devastating. And while the story is in simplistic terms a story about the act of trying to have children, really it’s a stunning and lyrical portrait of grief, forgiveness, the tenderness of family, and the bonds between women. And it manages to do it in a way that never feels treacly or manipulative. It’s so incredibly raw and real. I highly recommend this book.
Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Infertility, Miscarriage, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Abortion, Pregnancy, Abandonment
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Graphic: Addiction, Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Cancer, Child death, Death, Drug use, Infidelity, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent
Minor: Mental illness, Murder
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Outing, Classism
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Death, Violence, War, Injury/Injury detail
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Bullying, Chronic illness, Death, Homophobia, Terminal illness, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Homophobia, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual content, Blood, Grief, Colonisation