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A review by erinlibrarian
This Golden State by Marit Weisenberg
2.0
*possible spoilers*
I really really wanted to like this book. I was pretty much onboard all the way through, until I finished it and thought about it for a bit. Both this book and the other one I just finished both involve parents causing their children a lot of trauma that seemed wholly unnecessary, which is probably why I'm coming down so hard on this book. In the case of This Golden State, Poppy's family is so psychologically abusive that she had to live her entire childhood in a perpetual state of flight and doubts she's worthy of friends, education, stability, romantic love, and any type of future that doesn't involve being completely dependent on her parents for every aspect of her life, even into adulthood. It was sad and weird. I feel like she never really comes to terms with the damage her parents have caused her. I felt like she escaped a cult. I'm sure Poppy will be unpacking this in therapy for years to come.
I really really wanted to like this book. I was pretty much onboard all the way through, until I finished it and thought about it for a bit. Both this book and the other one I just finished both involve parents causing their children a lot of trauma that seemed wholly unnecessary, which is probably why I'm coming down so hard on this book. In the case of This Golden State, Poppy's family is so psychologically abusive that she had to live her entire childhood in a perpetual state of flight and doubts she's worthy of friends, education, stability, romantic love, and any type of future that doesn't involve being completely dependent on her parents for every aspect of her life, even into adulthood. It was sad and weird. I feel like she never really comes to terms with the damage her parents have caused her. I felt like she escaped a cult. I'm sure Poppy will be unpacking this in therapy for years to come.