A review by lovinghershelf
All Fall Down by Jennifer Weiner
3.0
A very conflicting review for me to write.
Things this book did well:
-Laying our how easily a ‘normal’ person can become addicted to opiates, or anything else for that matter
-Avoided too many cheesy stereotypes
-Kept me interested enough to finish the book in just 2 days
-The main character’s unlikeable personality did redeem itself a little bit in the end
-Literally the kindest and most patient husband, whom my heart hurt for the entire time
-Explaining the very real and discouraging challenges within the ‘treatment & recovery’ system for addicts (underfunded yet exorbitantly expensive rehab facilities, often staffed with incompetent and undereducated ‘counsellors’, poor amenities, repeat residents being the norm, etc)
Things I didn’t like:
-Your typical suburban privileged mommy blogger ‘can’t handle the stresses of her life’ and becomes addicted to painkillers. I had very little sympathy for her throughout the book - especially with her ‘holier than thou’ I’m-better-than-these-junkies attitude
-Possibly the most annoying child character I’ve ever encountered in fiction. I don’t particularly like kids to begin with, but the MC’s daughter was the most irritating, spoiled, whiny brat I think I’ve ever read about.
-I have watched countless loved ones struggle with addiction, one of whom died as a result. This is a very ‘light’ approach to the subject, with a happy, all-was-well ending. If you’ve seen the grips of addiction first-hand, the story may not ring very true for you. Not that I wanted it to be much heavier - just something to note. There wasn’t very much of a struggle for something as serious as addiction.
Things this book did well:
-Laying our how easily a ‘normal’ person can become addicted to opiates, or anything else for that matter
-Avoided too many cheesy stereotypes
-Kept me interested enough to finish the book in just 2 days
-The main character’s unlikeable personality did redeem itself a little bit in the end
-Literally the kindest and most patient husband, whom my heart hurt for the entire time
-Explaining the very real and discouraging challenges within the ‘treatment & recovery’ system for addicts (underfunded yet exorbitantly expensive rehab facilities, often staffed with incompetent and undereducated ‘counsellors’, poor amenities, repeat residents being the norm, etc)
Things I didn’t like:
-Your typical suburban privileged mommy blogger ‘can’t handle the stresses of her life’ and becomes addicted to painkillers. I had very little sympathy for her throughout the book - especially with her ‘holier than thou’ I’m-better-than-these-junkies attitude
-Possibly the most annoying child character I’ve ever encountered in fiction. I don’t particularly like kids to begin with, but the MC’s daughter was the most irritating, spoiled, whiny brat I think I’ve ever read about.
-I have watched countless loved ones struggle with addiction, one of whom died as a result. This is a very ‘light’ approach to the subject, with a happy, all-was-well ending. If you’ve seen the grips of addiction first-hand, the story may not ring very true for you. Not that I wanted it to be much heavier - just something to note. There wasn’t very much of a struggle for something as serious as addiction.