ameliainthelibrary's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
The story was great and the writing was well done with good flow but the charterers, particularly Dawn, were so dislikable that I nearly DNFed. As a non binary queer person I was particularly excited about a story with an older character coming to terms with their identity but I just couldn’t form any relation to Dawn or her self spiraling hatred. Were it not for the writing of Gertrude’s story and my curiosity of if we’d find out what happened to Marta I would not have been able to finish this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Hate crime, and Xenophobia
lovelybookshelf's review
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Dawn is a genderqueer book conservator in 2003 New York. Her life is a big hot mess—perfect fodder for a character-driven novel like this one. The intersections between gender identity, sexuality, and societal expectations are messy, messy, messy, and Dawn is feeling it crashing in on her. Her attempts to figure out a way to be her authentic self is at the heart of this adult-coming-of-age story.
It's always a treat when character-driven novels come with a little mystery, too—especially a bookish one! Dawn finds a love letter behind the endpaper of a '50s lesbian pulp novel and decides to track down the note's author. This part of the story provides a touching intergenerational connection that highlights how vital queer elders are to our lives.
This debut novel is full of warmth, authenticity, and queer hope. 💕 Really enjoyed it!
It's always a treat when character-driven novels come with a little mystery, too—especially a bookish one! Dawn finds a love letter behind the endpaper of a '50s lesbian pulp novel and decides to track down the note's author. This part of the story provides a touching intergenerational connection that highlights how vital queer elders are to our lives.
This debut novel is full of warmth, authenticity, and queer hope. 💕 Really enjoyed it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dysphoria, Hate crime, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Xenophobia
Minor: War
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