A review by foldingthepage_kayleigh
The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller

dark emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This book is beautiful and terrible, with an atmosphere that you soak into. An incredibly immersive and intense family drama, this is a great choice if you’re looking for a heavier read that transports you directly to summer months at a lakeside cabin.

I would describe this book as grim and troubling, which normally wouldn’t be the type of book I would go for, but I am so glad I picked this one up and buddy read it with @flower_bubbles because I just couldn’t put it down! I listened to 3/4 of this one on audio and I would definitely recommend this format. The narrator is phenomenal, but also I really felt Elle was directly telling me her own story, which made me feel very invested in her life and spellbound by this whole book.

I can definitely see why this book made the Women’s Prize for Fiction long list and was a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick, truly gorgeous writing that I would expect for literary fiction. But be forewarned, there are a lot of difficult topics covered and graphic scenes depicted in this one, and I would recommend researching the content before diving in. 

I’d recommend this book to readers who tend toward:
  • storylines with multiple flashes through time 
  • dark books that deal with trauma and vulnerability but contrasted with tender moments of togetherness
  • imperfect and complicated main characters 
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