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A review by halkid2
I Wanted You To Know by Laura Pearson
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I WANTED YOU TO KNOW is probably the single saddest and most upsetting book I have ever read. In part because it tapped into some of my own most personal experiences and fears.
It's also likely that this will be a hard book for many to read. I WANTED YOU TO KNOW is a vivid and dark look at a 21-year-old single mother (Jess) facing a diagnosis of breast cancer, the threat of death, and perhaps leaving a motherless baby (Edie) behind. It's also about Jess's mother, Caroline, contemplating the loss of HER only child and about both Jess's best friend and Edie's estranged father coming to terms with the same tragedy. Definitely NOT for the faint of heart.
It's all here, all the things any of us would have to face. Decisions about medical treatments, the potential impact of those treatments on one's body, wanting resolution in troubled relationships, regrets, considering final goodbyes, and, most importantly, planning Edie's future -- all are included in author Laura Pearson's novel. It's quite an emotional roller-coaster. For both the characters and the reader.
Honestly, although I definitely feel Laura Pearson successfully explored very difficult subject matter, I'm not sure I'm glad I finished I WANTED YOU TO KNOW. I just knew I felt compelled to finish it. I had to know what happened to these people I came to care about. If you decide to read it, just understand you may find this a hard story to get through. And like me, you may occasionally need to take a break.
It's also likely that this will be a hard book for many to read. I WANTED YOU TO KNOW is a vivid and dark look at a 21-year-old single mother (Jess) facing a diagnosis of breast cancer, the threat of death, and perhaps leaving a motherless baby (Edie) behind. It's also about Jess's mother, Caroline, contemplating the loss of HER only child and about both Jess's best friend and Edie's estranged father coming to terms with the same tragedy. Definitely NOT for the faint of heart.
It's all here, all the things any of us would have to face. Decisions about medical treatments, the potential impact of those treatments on one's body, wanting resolution in troubled relationships, regrets, considering final goodbyes, and, most importantly, planning Edie's future -- all are included in author Laura Pearson's novel. It's quite an emotional roller-coaster. For both the characters and the reader.
Honestly, although I definitely feel Laura Pearson successfully explored very difficult subject matter, I'm not sure I'm glad I finished I WANTED YOU TO KNOW. I just knew I felt compelled to finish it. I had to know what happened to these people I came to care about. If you decide to read it, just understand you may find this a hard story to get through. And like me, you may occasionally need to take a break.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Terminal illness, and Death of parent