Published August 9th 2016 by Thomas Dunne Books
As the daughter of a meth dealer, Wavy knows not to trust people, not even her own parents. Struggling to raise her little brother, eight-year-old Wavy is the only responsible "adult" around. She finds peace in the starry Midwestern night sky above the fields behind her house. One night everything changes when she witnesses one of her father's thugs, Kellen, a tattooed ex-con with a heart of gold, wreck his motorcycle. What follows is a powerful and shocking love story between two unlikely people that asks tough questions, reminding us of all the ugly and wonderful things that life has to offer.
My Thoughts
I’m not going to lie… I struggled with this book, and I feel somewhat disappointed that I’ve missed something extraordinary that everyone seems to experience when they read All the Ugly and Wonderful Things.
Having picked up this novel because of convincing praise from one of my favorite authors, and seeing it validated by all of the high ratings and rave reviews, I was certain this would be at the top of my list when I was done. However, I found myself putting it down quite often and leaving it untouched for days. It took me a few weeks to get through this book, and that wasn’t a good sign. I can only attribute it to resisting a connection with the characters and their story. Yes, there was some resistance on my part, and let me tell you why…
All the Ugly and Wonderful Things catapults us into Wavy’s turbulent life. This four-year-old little girl is subject to horrific living conditions, having a meth drug dealer for a father and a bi-polar/manic depressive mother. It’s never quite clear what Val suffers from, but there was clearly an imbalance of some sort that had an affect on her daughter. As a result, Wavy refuses to eat in front of people, speak to anyone, or form any sort of connections with others due to the abuse and volatile relationships in her life. As a few years pass and her mother brings home a baby brother, eight-year old Wavy assumes responsibility for Donal. Then, one fateful day, her world changes when she meets Kellen who happens to work for her father. Kellen and Wavy soon form a bond that develops into something deeply significant for Wavy, having never been able to rely on or trust anyone. He becomes her protector, and these two, along with her little brother Donal, become a family.
Overall, I can’t seem to accept the relationship that formed between Kellen and Wavy. He was an adult and she was a child. I feel Wavy had too many people in her life that abused her emotionally, physically and psychologically, and it’s not a far stretch to stay Kellen didn’t take advantage either. He was a good guy… I’ll give him that. He took Wavy to school, paid for her expenses, and protected her. However, what happened when she was fourteen (and he was 25 or so) and even before then was tough for me to swallow, and I won’t deny that I found it unacceptable what took place between these two.
However, I’d be remiss if I didn’t admit that Bryn Greenwood writes a powerful story. It just wasn’t within my comfort zone, but it was powerful. She paints a daunting picture of what could happen to child when they don’t have the protection and care of a parent or guardian. My heart broke for Wavy and Donal, and I wanted more for these two children.
All the Ugly and Wonderful Things is a story that blends hard-hitting topics into one emotionally raw novel of a child and grown man who fall in love in the most unlikely of circumstances. It won’t land as my top pick for 2017, but it will unwillingly stay on my mind for quite a while.
I’m not going to lie… I struggled with this book, and I feel somewhat disappointed that I’ve missed something extraordinary that everyone seems to experience when they read All the Ugly and Wonderful Things.
Having picked up this novel because of convincing praise from one of my favorite authors, and seeing it validated by all of the high ratings and rave reviews, I was certain this would be at the top of my list when I was done. However, I found myself putting it down quite often and leaving it untouched for days. It took me a few weeks to get through this book, and that wasn’t a good sign. I can only attribute it to resisting a connection with the characters and their story. Yes, there was some resistance on my part, and let me tell you why…
All the Ugly and Wonderful Things catapults us into Wavy’s turbulent life. This four-year-old little girl is subject to horrific living conditions, having a meth drug dealer for a father and a bi-polar/manic depressive mother. It’s never quite clear what Val suffers from, but there was clearly an imbalance of some sort that had an affect on her daughter. As a result, Wavy refuses to eat in front of people, speak to anyone, or form any sort of connections with others due to the abuse and volatile relationships in her life. As a few years pass and her mother brings home a baby brother, eight-year old Wavy assumes responsibility for Donal. Then, one fateful day, her world changes when she meets Kellen who happens to work for her father. Kellen and Wavy soon form a bond that develops into something deeply significant for Wavy, having never been able to rely on or trust anyone. He becomes her protector, and these two, along with her little brother Donal, become a family.
Overall, I can’t seem to accept the relationship that formed between Kellen and Wavy. He was an adult and she was a child. I feel Wavy had too many people in her life that abused her emotionally, physically and psychologically, and it’s not a far stretch to stay Kellen didn’t take advantage either. He was a good guy… I’ll give him that. He took Wavy to school, paid for her expenses, and protected her. However, what happened when she was fourteen (and he was 25 or so) and even before then was tough for me to swallow, and I won’t deny that I found it unacceptable what took place between these two.
However, I’d be remiss if I didn’t admit that Bryn Greenwood writes a powerful story. It just wasn’t within my comfort zone, but it was powerful. She paints a daunting picture of what could happen to child when they don’t have the protection and care of a parent or guardian. My heart broke for Wavy and Donal, and I wanted more for these two children.
All the Ugly and Wonderful Things is a story that blends hard-hitting topics into one emotionally raw novel of a child and grown man who fall in love in the most unlikely of circumstances. It won’t land as my top pick for 2017, but it will unwillingly stay on my mind for quite a while.
3.5 Suns
Oh, I've always wanted to read this book but I'm too terrified of it. I'm glad you persevered, though. Sometimes, we learn the most from things that make us uncomfortable.
ReplyDeleteGreat review, Arlene!
It could just be me Joyous. So many people are loving this book. I was just uncomfortable with a few themes. Worth checking out others opinions though.
DeleteHmm...I'm not sure if I want to read this book or not. But you've definitely got me thinking. :)
ReplyDeleteIt was a tough one for me Lark. I'm bummed I didn't fall with the majority that seems to love this novel.
Delete