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A review by emleemay
Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King
5.0
I have been lucky enough to read a LOT of great books this year and up until now I had a clear I-shine-above-the-rest favourite: [b:On the Jellicoe Road|1162022|On the Jellicoe Road|Melina Marchetta|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1212708945s/1162022.jpg|6479100]. Though I am actually going to be daring enough to say to all you Marchetta-obsessed bookaholics that for me [b:Please Ignore Vera Dietz|6665671|Please Ignore Vera Dietz|A.S. King|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1394240671s/6665671.jpg|6860540] could compete with the sad and beautiful emotional turmoil I felt for [b:On the Jellicoe Road|1162022|On the Jellicoe Road|Melina Marchetta|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1212708945s/1162022.jpg|6479100].
There are two young adult topics that always make me think "oh, not again", and they are:
1) teen pregnancy, and
2) coping with the death of a loved one
These subjects are so overdone that the mere thought of tackling yet another piece of this melodramatic drivel makes my head ache... but [b:Please Ignore Vera Dietz|6665671|Please Ignore Vera Dietz|A.S. King|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1394240671s/6665671.jpg|6860540] is probably the best book I have ever read that involves death and the aftermath of it; all the sorrow and guilt and "what ifs" told in such a beautiful way. In fact, I honestly cannot think of a novel that handles it better.
Anyone can put pretty words in the right order, but it takes a really talented author to make you truly feel. They are the kind of writers who know how to make you love, hate or just want to have sex with a character. Here, I felt everything that Vera felt; it was very emotionally draining but ultimately more rewarding at the end - I love those books that truly affect me, they stay with me far longer than the rest.
Charlie, as well as Vera, was a remarkable character. He reminded me of a debate I had recently about [b:Wuthering Heights|6185|Wuthering Heights|Emily Brontë|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388212715s/6185.jpg|1565818] and, in particular, Heathcliff. I've always said that the best actors are those who can make you feel sorry for an evil and twisted character, that can make you understand even if redemption is impossible... I feel it's the same with authors. [a:Emily Brontë|4191|Emily Brontë|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1529578586p2/4191.jpg] created a character who was a violent monster, yet the way she explores the unloved childhood he endured always makes me feel nothing but sympathy for a man who is cruel because he's been shown nothing else.
I love complex characters. There are few, if any, people in this world who can be called something so simple as "good" or "bad".
This is why I loved Charlie and all his stupid fuckedupness. Charlie makes so many mistakes and he frequently gets it all wrong. In the hands of a weaker author, you could easily hate him... but you don't. Yes, this is a novel about death and yes, this is a novel about friendship and love and the fine line between right and wrong... but [b:Please Ignore Vera Dietz|6665671|Please Ignore Vera Dietz|A.S. King|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1394240671s/6665671.jpg|6860540] is first and foremost an exploration of two complex individuals who are two of the most well-drawn characters I have come across in the young adult genre. Huge thanks to Tatiana, without whom I would never have read this book.
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There are two young adult topics that always make me think "oh, not again", and they are:
1) teen pregnancy, and
2) coping with the death of a loved one
These subjects are so overdone that the mere thought of tackling yet another piece of this melodramatic drivel makes my head ache... but [b:Please Ignore Vera Dietz|6665671|Please Ignore Vera Dietz|A.S. King|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1394240671s/6665671.jpg|6860540] is probably the best book I have ever read that involves death and the aftermath of it; all the sorrow and guilt and "what ifs" told in such a beautiful way. In fact, I honestly cannot think of a novel that handles it better.
Anyone can put pretty words in the right order, but it takes a really talented author to make you truly feel. They are the kind of writers who know how to make you love, hate or just want to have sex with a character. Here, I felt everything that Vera felt; it was very emotionally draining but ultimately more rewarding at the end - I love those books that truly affect me, they stay with me far longer than the rest.
Charlie, as well as Vera, was a remarkable character. He reminded me of a debate I had recently about [b:Wuthering Heights|6185|Wuthering Heights|Emily Brontë|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388212715s/6185.jpg|1565818] and, in particular, Heathcliff. I've always said that the best actors are those who can make you feel sorry for an evil and twisted character, that can make you understand even if redemption is impossible... I feel it's the same with authors. [a:Emily Brontë|4191|Emily Brontë|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1529578586p2/4191.jpg] created a character who was a violent monster, yet the way she explores the unloved childhood he endured always makes me feel nothing but sympathy for a man who is cruel because he's been shown nothing else.
I love complex characters. There are few, if any, people in this world who can be called something so simple as "good" or "bad".
This is why I loved Charlie and all his stupid fuckedupness. Charlie makes so many mistakes and he frequently gets it all wrong. In the hands of a weaker author, you could easily hate him... but you don't. Yes, this is a novel about death and yes, this is a novel about friendship and love and the fine line between right and wrong... but [b:Please Ignore Vera Dietz|6665671|Please Ignore Vera Dietz|A.S. King|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1394240671s/6665671.jpg|6860540] is first and foremost an exploration of two complex individuals who are two of the most well-drawn characters I have come across in the young adult genre. Huge thanks to Tatiana, without whom I would never have read this book.
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