Bitter Side of Sweet

The writing is a bit uneven, but the story is compelling enough to make the book worthwhile.

Fair warning,: the first third of the book is absolutely excruciating. There is horrific child abuse, tragic misfortune, and rape used for the purpose of maintaining a power imbalance. (The rape scene is not graphic and not even directly mentioned, but it's clear what is happening and nauseating despite the vagueness.)

It's hard to separate “the story” from “the message.” This is definitely a book with an agenda (an important one). Many reviewers felt like it got too preachy at the end, but (as the mom of a middle-grader) sometimes the target audience needs connections made explicitly.

The author made good use of the theme of “counting the things that matter,” and that's one of the ideas that makes this book so good: in a world full of overwhelming, uncountable tragedies, telling the story of ONE tragedy makes it possible to see it. Stories are so much more powerful than facts.

As for the story itself, it was compelling and believable. The characters were conflicted and sometimes contradictory in a way that felt true. Even in a world dominated by abusers, there is nuance; humanity still exists even in dark places, and it brings up good questions about what leads a person to exploit others.

Like most reviewers, this solidifies my commitment to only purchase fair-trade cocoa products. I'm on the fence, though, about when I'll recommend it to my son.