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mccaly28
, September 20, 2017
(view all comments by mccaly28)
“Here I was telling the truth for the first time and he wanted to erase it, make it not count, with my menstrual cycle.”
Matthew Quick has such a distinct way of writing and yet every one of his books is so different from the others it's remarkable how much they speak to the human experience.
Told from the perspective of Nanette this story-within-a-story is brilliant and touching. All of Quick's books also have a certain sad streak where I knew nothing good would last and there was going to be some sort of tragedy...but it's so worth the read.
While I didn't love the last fourth of the book, there is more resolution than I expected to the story. We read about love and loss and what it means to find yourself. One of the things I liked most about this book is the role of literature and how the characters put so much meaning into the words that they read that it makes this story we're reading more meaningful. It's easy to relate to and get lost in. Quick references a number of real authors and books and leaves them as gems for his fans throughout the book, paralleling the actions of the author he writes about.
I actually found (most of) Nannette's actions understandable as a teenager girl as we experience her angst and fear along with her. I was impressed that Quick was able to share the perspective of a young girl so truthfully and so well.
It's a quick read (or in my case a quick listen) that unfolds another perspective and additional insight with each chapter. It's more YA than Quick's other books but still worth the read.
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