A review by debussy
Twice Shy by Sarah Hogle

emotional funny hopeful medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I loved Sarah Hogle's debut, as well as her more recent Just Like Magic. Twice Shy is far more quiet compared to the others, and while there is still the same kind of quirk it's much more muted by the characters' emotional conflicts and the book's emphasis on mental illness. While I really enjoyed the bulk of the book, I did feel like the theme of love "fixing" a person's mental illness didn't really hit. As a person with anxiety no where near the level portrayed in the book, who is on medication and in therapy, the resolution was nice for the plot's sake, but I did not love it and found myself mostly frustrated that no one even mentioned more realistic ways to treat such illness that is not suffering until you find someone who loves you enough to be an emotional support system willing to forgive anything because that's their personality flaw.

I also didn't really understand some of the external plot--where was their money coming from to fix up this house? It's described as a money pit--a hoarding situation in 11,000 square feet, and it's fixed with a couple of dumpsters and some Magic Erasers? What happened with the funding? It's all glossed over, and I wish there'd been more meat on the bones there.

Soooo...by far my least favorite Sarah Hogle book, but the writing is still A+.
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