Underneath everything

One of my resolutions for 2017 is to review every book I read, so here goes.

This wasn't a bad book and was really probably a 3/5, but I didn't find myself invested in the plot or its characters enough to give it that extra star.

I loved so much about this: the writing was lovely at times, and I think it's important to address toxic relationships and the damage they can inflict on everyone around them, but . . . it just didn't all add up for me.

The plot was vague and not very memorable, which means we have to rely on strong characters. That is fine, as characters are what make a novel for me. But the characters . . . Our main girl, Mattie, is irritating and that's fine, because she is lost and trying to become her own person and haven't we all been there before? But we aren't truly given enough information on who she was pre-Jolene to really see who she became post-Jolene, and thus why we should care about her growth in this novel? We aren't really given any solid information on Mattie except she likes maps and she used to be popular?

I actually found myself more invested in reading about maps than I was about any of the characters and their drama. I mean:

“They were printed in 1901, the same year as the originals, and on the same type of wood-pulp paper. It's the paper that gives them that smell: a mix of must and leather, with a hint of grass and something acidic when you put your nose to it.”

This is clearly a skilled writer! I don't care about maps and yet I wanted to read more! Sign me up for the map-smelling.

But again, Mattie is so . . . bluh. This passage really highlights why I was so reluctant to be invested in her character:

“Girl. As if we're a line of interchangeable things hinged to Hudson, which replenish each season. It's gross and sexist. And electrifying.To be seen. To be new.”

Yuck. Again, very skilled writing that is in character for Mattie, and maybe it's just hitting too close to home to how I often felt in high school, but I just couldn't bring myself to care about her growth, or her relationship with Hudson (who is the worst, bluh) or Kris or Jolene or her brother or anyone.

So all in all, a mixed bag. It definitely could have been a case of “wrong book, wrong time,” so I might revisit it and change my rating in the future. I will check out other books by this author as the writing was solid, but I hope I like the characters and plots of future books more.