What I’ve Been Reading
I mean, now I have to go read everything else Meg Medina ever wrote. Because–well, it’s so hard to write about perfection without gushing. But she doesn’t put a foot wrong. Every emotion real and powerful without being overdone, and in a novel that touches on class, race, friendship, family, illness, loss, and growing up, that’s truly something.
When you’re a writer, there’s a fine line between work that is so good it’s inspirational and work that just makes you want to go bury your head in a sandbank and never try to write another word because why bother when it’s already been done so well? This book sits right on that line.
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I was less pulled into A Heart in a Body in the World than I wanted to be, partly because it was just difficult to read about a young woman (very nearly literally) flagellating herself with guilt and long-distance running for…something undefined. I was impressed by the delicate rendering of a young woman, under intense pressure (internal and external) to be nice, tolerating toxic masculinity, trying to preform the impossible dance of being endlessly kind to an intense young man who can’t hear her no, who doesn’t notice her boundaries, who doesn’t care about her needs. Yes, this is a book that has true and important things to say about the dreadful, debilitating power of “nice” and what it does to girls who grow up learning that they must take care of everyone but themselves.
In the end, though, the book felt as if it was about these ideas rather than about Annabelle. (And the rhetorical device of leaving readers dangling–what did The Taker do? Who’s Seth Montgomery? What’s actually waiting for Annabelle in Washington, D.C.?) can be effective but it can also be overused. This time it was overused.
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It’s just not fair for Angie Thomas to be this talented. That’s all I’m saying.
What I’ve Been Reading
Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed
Definitely as good as it is rumored to be! Quick-paced but still managing to pay loving attention to the details of everyday life in a Pakistani village–the sugarcane fields, the ironing of the salwar kameez, the hot homemade rotis, trips to the market, the close connections of the village families. There’s more than enough suspense to pull a reader through, and I particularly admired how the characters are multifaceted without being overly complicated–the thug of a landlord is human enough to mourn over a lost love, the mistress of the house is kind yet spoiled, helpful as long as her own convenience isn’t marred. Amal’s father, who lets her be taken as as servant to pay off his debts, isn’t a villain–he’s desperate, helpless, and trying to take care of a family of five daughters, sacrificing one to keep the others safe. Don’t miss this one!
Read MoreSarah L. Thomson
A children’s book author publishing award-winning nonfiction, poetry, picture books and novels including…
“Thomson focuses on newfound connection, magic, and suspense to conjure a fast-paced, heartwarming mystery. Thomson’s world is populated by resourceful protagonists, fanciful creatures, and quirky supporting characters.”
—Publishers Weekly