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A review by lovelykd
Everything Must Go by Jenny Fran Davis
4.0
I received an ARC of Everything Must Go by Jenny Davis, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
As of this post, the book had not yet been released.
There is plenty to unpack here--most of which I won't be able--but because I have only just finished reading, I am still processing the evolution of Flora Goldwasser. I could wait to write this later, but I'm afraid I'd lose the rawness of my thoughts.
Who is Flora? Flora is what some might call "extra".
Upon meeting her, you get the impression she took the long way around to "finding herself". The story is being told, in reverse, using notes, letters, emails, magazine articles, and memos.
The correspondence isn't only from Flora, but others considered pertinent to the telling of the story.
At 16 years of age, Flora has fallen head over heels in love (lust) with an artsy photog named Elijah Huck. Everything that follows, from the point of their meeting, tells the story of Flora's growth and evolution. Prior to that, despite whatever idea she has of herself, she is simply a girl who finds a pleasant distraction in a cute boy:
Elijah ignites a passion within Flora. The two work on a project together. Once the project ends, Flora decides to leave her rich New York life behind to follow Elijah to an exclusive (and unconventional) school in upstate New York.
However, when Elijah changes his plans and opts to go elsewhere, Flora decides to stay at the school--a place that shies away from all things trendy and modern in favor of connecting with more rooted ideals.
How Flora comes to grow--as a direct result is being surrounded by people who aren't impressed with living lives centered around materialism and social acceptance of gender norms--is the crux journey.
What she finds out about herself is the prize.
I enjoyed this book. I don't consider myself a feminist in the radical sense, but I do recognize the power in owning who you are--sexually and emotionally--and a lot of this book is about understanding one's primary role in the overall scheme of things.
How do you define who you are as a woman? A man? What defines the type of person you'll become? Who's responsible for YOUR narrative? Are you subscribing to what you want or what you think others want/expect of/from you?
All of these questions, and more, entered my mind as I read this book.
There were too many characters, and too much going on, to truly do justice to this book here. You really have to read it for yourself to understand.
I enjoyed seeing the various perspectives of each and every one of the female characters: Dean seemed the most the most in-touch with who she was, while Sinclair and Juna offered the reader a different embracing of their own femininity.
Elijah, the main antagonist (of sorts), opened up plenty of questions regarding the role the patriarchy plays in man's fear of intimacy and sexual inadequacy.
The very things Elijah seemingly is against, are the very things he (inadvertently) comes to embody: his objectification and rejection of Flora only lend further proof to how much further he has to go.
Even more, the character of Wink also calls into question the role powerful women play in the patriarchy. At least, she did for me.
Like I said, lots to unpack, and plenty of discussions worthy of having once the final page is turned.
The prose (or lack thereof) was a negative, for me. I would have liked to have seen more prose. Emails, letters, and magazine excerpts succeed in telling the story, but were also a bit of a distraction from it at times as well.
That's the main reason this book received four stars.
As of this post, the book had not yet been released.
There is plenty to unpack here--most of which I won't be able--but because I have only just finished reading, I am still processing the evolution of Flora Goldwasser. I could wait to write this later, but I'm afraid I'd lose the rawness of my thoughts.
Who is Flora? Flora is what some might call "extra".
Upon meeting her, you get the impression she took the long way around to "finding herself". The story is being told, in reverse, using notes, letters, emails, magazine articles, and memos.
The correspondence isn't only from Flora, but others considered pertinent to the telling of the story.
At 16 years of age, Flora has fallen head over heels in love (lust) with an artsy photog named Elijah Huck. Everything that follows, from the point of their meeting, tells the story of Flora's growth and evolution. Prior to that, despite whatever idea she has of herself, she is simply a girl who finds a pleasant distraction in a cute boy:
It wasn't that I needed his approval to exist. Even in this time of frissons and jittery stomachs, I knew my power without Elijah. I didn't need him to kiss me. I just really wanted him to, and that wild desire made my body feel like it was on fire. Let's be honest. I was in love, and it was the kind of love that made me forget myself.
Elijah ignites a passion within Flora. The two work on a project together. Once the project ends, Flora decides to leave her rich New York life behind to follow Elijah to an exclusive (and unconventional) school in upstate New York.
However, when Elijah changes his plans and opts to go elsewhere, Flora decides to stay at the school--a place that shies away from all things trendy and modern in favor of connecting with more rooted ideals.
How Flora comes to grow--as a direct result is being surrounded by people who aren't impressed with living lives centered around materialism and social acceptance of gender norms--is the crux journey.
What she finds out about herself is the prize.
I enjoyed this book. I don't consider myself a feminist in the radical sense, but I do recognize the power in owning who you are--sexually and emotionally--and a lot of this book is about understanding one's primary role in the overall scheme of things.
How do you define who you are as a woman? A man? What defines the type of person you'll become? Who's responsible for YOUR narrative? Are you subscribing to what you want or what you think others want/expect of/from you?
All of these questions, and more, entered my mind as I read this book.
There were too many characters, and too much going on, to truly do justice to this book here. You really have to read it for yourself to understand.
I enjoyed seeing the various perspectives of each and every one of the female characters: Dean seemed the most the most in-touch with who she was, while Sinclair and Juna offered the reader a different embracing of their own femininity.
Elijah, the main antagonist (of sorts), opened up plenty of questions regarding the role the patriarchy plays in man's fear of intimacy and sexual inadequacy.
The very things Elijah seemingly is against, are the very things he (inadvertently) comes to embody: his objectification and rejection of Flora only lend further proof to how much further he has to go.
Even more, the character of Wink also calls into question the role powerful women play in the patriarchy. At least, she did for me.
Like I said, lots to unpack, and plenty of discussions worthy of having once the final page is turned.
The prose (or lack thereof) was a negative, for me. I would have liked to have seen more prose. Emails, letters, and magazine excerpts succeed in telling the story, but were also a bit of a distraction from it at times as well.
That's the main reason this book received four stars.