I loved this book. I want to start off by saying that. I really loved this book. Genuinely. Everything from the structure to the style of writing just worked. The small chapters, broken into sections, makes the story incredibly pacey. We fly through Debbie’s life as quickly as our own seems to pass. Over the course of the novel, we learn more about Debbie and her eccentric family. Nealon is so very talented at writing beautifully flawed characters, and we get to know them slowly, like you would a friend.
This book is raw. It’s not going to be for everybody because it’s different than anything else out there. The points touched upon are so intrinsically real and at times I felt like I was struggling right along with Debbie. The book gives a fly on the wall impression of somebody’s life, as though we are able to peer through a window and see what the characters are really like.
I tend to have an issue with books that touch on mental illness, simply because it’s so rare that it’s ever accurate and written in a way that those without mental illness will understand. Because, to me, why write about mental illness unless you’re trying to bring more understanding to it? The way Nealon portrays mental illness in her characters is just right. It simply works. There’s no romanticising it, no demonising it, and it’s not a character trait (I find it pretty insulting when authors turn mental illness into a character’s whole personality).
Nealon manages to write a book that means something. It will have an impact on generations to come, thanks to the topics covered and the talented writing. There’s nothing I would change. Nothing, and that never happens!
I highly recommend picking this book up if you’re into novels about coming of age, but also if you’re looking into branching out into ‘future classics’. I think we’ll be hearing a lot about this book in time to come. I feel like a better person for having read it. A difficult topic approached with both humour and compassion. A job well done!
This book is raw. It’s not going to be for everybody because it’s different than anything else out there. The points touched upon are so intrinsically real and at times I felt like I was struggling right along with Debbie. The book gives a fly on the wall impression of somebody’s life, as though we are able to peer through a window and see what the characters are really like.
I tend to have an issue with books that touch on mental illness, simply because it’s so rare that it’s ever accurate and written in a way that those without mental illness will understand. Because, to me, why write about mental illness unless you’re trying to bring more understanding to it? The way Nealon portrays mental illness in her characters is just right. It simply works. There’s no romanticising it, no demonising it, and it’s not a character trait (I find it pretty insulting when authors turn mental illness into a character’s whole personality).
Nealon manages to write a book that means something. It will have an impact on generations to come, thanks to the topics covered and the talented writing. There’s nothing I would change. Nothing, and that never happens!
I highly recommend picking this book up if you’re into novels about coming of age, but also if you’re looking into branching out into ‘future classics’. I think we’ll be hearing a lot about this book in time to come. I feel like a better person for having read it. A difficult topic approached with both humour and compassion. A job well done!