This book is about the lives of two characters, Augusta Hope and Parfait Nduwimana. The chapters alternate between their lives - Augusta’s chapters tend to be longer since she is the main character - but they tend to still be short chapters, which are quick to read. There are a few long chapters throughout the book though.
Augusta is a twin; in the eyes of her parents, her sister, Julia, is the perfect child. Augusta is a bit different - she loves to read the dictionary, learn all sorts of obscure facts and she just doesn’t behave in the way they want her to. In all honesty, I much prefer Augusta to Julia.
Augusta’s family live in England. Parfait lives with his family in Burundi. He is the eldest son, with six younger siblings.
In the alternating chapters we follow Augusta’s struggle to fit in throughout her life, and Parfait’s struggle to survive in a war-torn country.
In the beginning, some things don’t really tie together and at times you feel as though some information is missing, but as you progress through the book you begin to see how Augusta and Parfait’s lives become intertwined and everything starts to make sense after one devastating chapter.
I really wish the blurb hadn’t alluded to an unspeakable tragedy, as I would read each chapter in expectation of it. Whilst it is evident from the narration that something will happen, I would’ve liked to have made this deduction for myself rather than be given a heads up about it in the blurb. That said, it is still a beautifully written book, with (I think) some strong messages about being different, not fitting in and mental health. The cover is very pretty too - with gold shimmering dragonflies.
Augusta is a twin; in the eyes of her parents, her sister, Julia, is the perfect child. Augusta is a bit different - she loves to read the dictionary, learn all sorts of obscure facts and she just doesn’t behave in the way they want her to. In all honesty, I much prefer Augusta to Julia.
Augusta’s family live in England. Parfait lives with his family in Burundi. He is the eldest son, with six younger siblings.
In the alternating chapters we follow Augusta’s struggle to fit in throughout her life, and Parfait’s struggle to survive in a war-torn country.
In the beginning, some things don’t really tie together and at times you feel as though some information is missing, but as you progress through the book you begin to see how Augusta and Parfait’s lives become intertwined and everything starts to make sense after one devastating chapter.
I really wish the blurb hadn’t alluded to an unspeakable tragedy, as I would read each chapter in expectation of it. Whilst it is evident from the narration that something will happen, I would’ve liked to have made this deduction for myself rather than be given a heads up about it in the blurb. That said, it is still a beautifully written book, with (I think) some strong messages about being different, not fitting in and mental health. The cover is very pretty too - with gold shimmering dragonflies.