Janet Fitch (1) (1955–)

I think this is one of my absolute favorite books I have ever read. I found both Astrid's character and her complicated relationship with her mother deeply relatable. I really enjoy this style of writing even though it understandably may come off as pretentious or overdramatic to some. My only gripe is that I personally found the ending to be a little lackluster, but that's genuinely just a personal preference. This will definitely be a book I reread in the future as there is so much to dissect.

This riveting (fictional) account of a woman's coping with her boyfriend's suicide can be dark, but its never trite or sappy, deeply affecting, and at the end, inspiring.
The protagonist is an aspiring actress, and there's one chapter dealing with turning pain into art that is absolutely stunning.

The prose of this book was so poetic. I like that as the reader we mirror Astrid's state of mind, being in the present but having Ingrid lurking in the back of our minds as well. Despite all of the issues in their relationship, the ending was surprisingly hopeful, and the last line... loved it.

For various reasons, this also took me a long time to read. [return][return]Interesting story as to a young girl's trip through foster homes after her famous mother gets jailed for the murder of her ex boyfriend