A few years ago I read an entire book before realizing I had already read it. I looked back at my Goodreads read list and realized I had no memory of about half of the books on there. So I built a new habit – (almost) every time I finish a book, I word-vomit my thoughts and emotions into a note on my phone. Sometimes they’re brief, sometimes they’re long-longwinded, sometimes they just ramble…and now I’m putting them here. Please enjoy the madness.
I really loved the way this book asked difficult questions without pushing you toward a “right” answer and left the ending realistically untidy but somehow still satisfying. Life wasn’t fair to any of them but not in a horrible, tragic just for the sake of learning a lesson way. Sometimes the people who we love turn out to love someone close to us, sometimes people leave and we don’t get to know why. Sometimes we have to do things because of circumstances outside of our control and we can hate the decision while still making it.
The author also did a lovely job of showing all the different perspectives throughout and making you understand why each person would believe they’re right. Most people do the things they do because they believe they are the right things to do and if you can listen and understand their perspective, you can see why they would feel that way, even if you disagree. The events in this book show nobody is perfect, how parents are just people doing their best and they have a past and while you gain a certain perspective as you age, everyone feels they know what’s best…especially teenagers who are too young to understand that they don’t understand things. The question of what it means to be a mother and what family means was a big one throughout and you don’t really come away with an answer because no matter what you choose, someone is shattered.