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booksjessreads's review
challenging
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I read this for the Carnegie Shortlist 2023 and it has been my favourite read so far. I think this is an incredibly powerful and eye-opening story.
The language used in this book isn't complex but it does grip the reader. Immediately, you are drawn into the mind and emotions of Charlene and I think Lawrence has employed such skill to get that right. I think the circumstances that Charlene finds herself in are also appropriately written and make the reader feel hopeful that things will get better, but they don't. The story just continues to go in a direction that you are not expecting and I think that unpredictability adds to the power of the storytelling and the investment of the reader overall.
I genuinely hope this one wins the prize because it so deserving of the medal. This book highlights the experiences of a black female adolescent in care in an authentic and original way.
The language used in this book isn't complex but it does grip the reader. Immediately, you are drawn into the mind and emotions of Charlene and I think Lawrence has employed such skill to get that right. I think the circumstances that Charlene finds herself in are also appropriately written and make the reader feel hopeful that things will get better, but they don't. The story just continues to go in a direction that you are not expecting and I think that unpredictability adds to the power of the storytelling and the investment of the reader overall.
I genuinely hope this one wins the prize because it so deserving of the medal. This book highlights the experiences of a black female adolescent in care in an authentic and original way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Violence, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Bullying, Racism, and Blood
Minor: Vomit