An exploration of grief and ghosts with a magical realist undercurrent
An exploration of grief and ghosts with a magical realist undercurrent.
Veronica is a strange girl. She sees ghosts. She's grieving the death of her mother, and facing the likely possibility of her own death, in the throes of the same brain tumor that killed her mother. But her house seems to be haunted by more than just one spirit. She doesn't fear death; but before she goes, she wants to prove that her ghosts are real, and she may leave a ghost of her own in her wake.
Sawyer seems to have a perfect life of popularity, athleticism and wealth. But when his family moves into the downstairs apartment in Veronica's house, it becomes clear that his life is haunted too, by pain and sadness and secrets.
I really enjoyed the interplay between realism and ghost story in this book, and how blurred the lines could be, especially as characters viewed the world through the lens of trauma and gaslighting. The love story was sweet, and the relationships between Veronica and her friends were so tender and sweet.
I didn't find Sawyer's world to be as well constructed, and his friends kind of seemed like oblivious assholes, not just to Veronica, but also to Sawyer. Though they shaped up by the end, it didn't feel like a satisfying resolution.
I was also a bit frustrated by the book's lack of diversity. The text made it clear that Veronica, Sawyer, and Veronica's friends were white. Sawyer's friends showed a little more diversity in a surface way, but their identities didn't seem to have much depth beyond "yes she is a lesbian" and "here, he'll say a word in Spanish." It felt a little painted on, when it could have been really interesting to see how these elements of marginalization impacted their experiences of popularity.
As a ghost story and a romance, and an exploration of trauma and residual haunting I thought this was an engaging, beautiful read. But I would have liked to see a richer world and community where these elements could really take on the full dimensions the author was exploring.
CWs: grief, ghosts, cancer, illness, loss of life, death-planning ideation, alcoholism, addiction, trauma, gaslighting, and implications of potential assault or sexual abuse of a child.
Veronica is a strange girl. She sees ghosts. She's grieving the death of her mother, and facing the likely possibility of her own death, in the throes of the same brain tumor that killed her mother. But her house seems to be haunted by more than just one spirit. She doesn't fear death; but before she goes, she wants to prove that her ghosts are real, and she may leave a ghost of her own in her wake.
Sawyer seems to have a perfect life of popularity, athleticism and wealth. But when his family moves into the downstairs apartment in Veronica's house, it becomes clear that his life is haunted too, by pain and sadness and secrets.
I really enjoyed the interplay between realism and ghost story in this book, and how blurred the lines could be, especially as characters viewed the world through the lens of trauma and gaslighting. The love story was sweet, and the relationships between Veronica and her friends were so tender and sweet.
I didn't find Sawyer's world to be as well constructed, and his friends kind of seemed like oblivious assholes, not just to Veronica, but also to Sawyer. Though they shaped up by the end, it didn't feel like a satisfying resolution.
I was also a bit frustrated by the book's lack of diversity. The text made it clear that Veronica, Sawyer, and Veronica's friends were white. Sawyer's friends showed a little more diversity in a surface way, but their identities didn't seem to have much depth beyond "yes she is a lesbian" and "here, he'll say a word in Spanish." It felt a little painted on, when it could have been really interesting to see how these elements of marginalization impacted their experiences of popularity.
As a ghost story and a romance, and an exploration of trauma and residual haunting I thought this was an engaging, beautiful read. But I would have liked to see a richer world and community where these elements could really take on the full dimensions the author was exploring.
CWs: grief, ghosts, cancer, illness, loss of life, death-planning ideation, alcoholism, addiction, trauma, gaslighting, and implications of potential assault or sexual abuse of a child.