Don't get me wrong - I adored this book. The writing was on-point, the story compelling and characters delightful. And yet, I couldn't bring myself to finish it. Not because it's bad, but because it's so heavy.
The book is about a teen who has just found out their cousin has died and no one will tell him why. Ultimately he decides to go back to the Philippines to learn about his cousin's death and how it's related to the new president's policies.
It was heartbreaking and heavy, and eventually I found myself drawn into the real-life stories of what was happening in the Philippines due to the war on drugs and couldn't finish the book. It has nothing to do with this book, which was executed flawlessly, and simply the fact that my "Books Read this Year" list is filled with similar #OwnVoices stories and I couldn't bring myself to finish another so soon. I'll come back to it when I'm ready, of that I'm sure.
The book is about a teen who has just found out their cousin has died and no one will tell him why. Ultimately he decides to go back to the Philippines to learn about his cousin's death and how it's related to the new president's policies.
It was heartbreaking and heavy, and eventually I found myself drawn into the real-life stories of what was happening in the Philippines due to the war on drugs and couldn't finish the book. It has nothing to do with this book, which was executed flawlessly, and simply the fact that my "Books Read this Year" list is filled with similar #OwnVoices stories and I couldn't bring myself to finish another so soon. I'll come back to it when I'm ready, of that I'm sure.