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A review by lupetuple
Faithful by Alice Hoffman
4.0
I'm going to hold back on a rating because I still need to stew in it, but here are my initial thoughts. The biggest reason I'm hesitant to give it a rating is because it hit way too close to home for me so I feel like that colors my feelings toward it. At the same time, I adore Alice Hoffman's writing and books, so it's not surprising that I got really into this to where I didn't put it down.
It's very hard to write characters with PTSD (or mental illness in general, but reaction to trauma is more specific and comes with its own challenges) that are believable and don't miraculously get better. Shelby's recovery was very progressive, and though the book itself is short, it felt slow and natural. It's very common for people with PTSD to wallow and while I think that can be cathartic for us to read to assure us that we're not alone in how we process trauma, I think it's more helpful to see others like us eventually succeed even if there are bumps along the road and regretful decisions we end up making.
I honestly was in Shelby's place for a very long time so I understood her character too well, especially in the beginning. It was eerie how similar our situations were though of course the similarities ended at some point. This is a book very much rooted in faith (hence the title) and perhaps even in unspoken prayer; many of the events occur as though they were meant to happen, in which Shelby was in the right place at the right time, which I suppose is the magical realism element, which isn't surprising coming from Alice Hoffman.
Maybe one thing I wish could've been cleaner and less rushed was Shelby and James's relationship. I did enjoy it, but I felt like it was more thrown in. It didn't feel as natural as the rest of the book; his reveal felt very abrupt, unlike the parts before. I think I would've liked to read more from James's perspective even though he already reveals a lot. Maybe I would've liked more initial interaction between them? I'm not sure how I would've improved this aspect of the book. I don't think it really bogs everything down though.
I think this is a book I really needed right now. Maybe my own kind of magical realism except in real life!
It's very hard to write characters with PTSD (or mental illness in general, but reaction to trauma is more specific and comes with its own challenges) that are believable and don't miraculously get better. Shelby's recovery was very progressive, and though the book itself is short, it felt slow and natural. It's very common for people with PTSD to wallow and while I think that can be cathartic for us to read to assure us that we're not alone in how we process trauma, I think it's more helpful to see others like us eventually succeed even if there are bumps along the road and regretful decisions we end up making.
I honestly was in Shelby's place for a very long time so I understood her character too well, especially in the beginning. It was eerie how similar our situations were though of course the similarities ended at some point. This is a book very much rooted in faith (hence the title) and perhaps even in unspoken prayer; many of the events occur as though they were meant to happen, in which Shelby was in the right place at the right time, which I suppose is the magical realism element, which isn't surprising coming from Alice Hoffman.
Maybe one thing I wish could've been cleaner and less rushed was Shelby and James's relationship. I did enjoy it, but I felt like it was more thrown in. It didn't feel as natural as the rest of the book; his reveal felt very abrupt, unlike the parts before. I think I would've liked to read more from James's perspective even though he already reveals a lot. Maybe I would've liked more initial interaction between them? I'm not sure how I would've improved this aspect of the book. I don't think it really bogs everything down though.
I think this is a book I really needed right now. Maybe my own kind of magical realism except in real life!