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A review by imaginefishes
How It Feels to Float by Helena Fox
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, and Death
Minor: Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Suicide
The book subverts expectations between the 2 main characters, and the sudden end to Part I felt really shocking and sudden to me (which… makes sense, considering mental illness spells don’t happen at regularly scheduled intervals). Apart from that, the description of dissociation felt very accurate (from the limited few times I’ve dissociated), and the sort of “depression slump” Biz slipped into resonated with me. I really wished I could go on the same adventures they went on, given my sheltered upbringing in the city. At the same time reading it from Biz’s POV really made me question the reality of the book while at the same time deepening my fear of psychosis. Overall the story is hopeful, but it gets really, really horrible before we get to that point with Biz.