A review by motherbeetle
Atomic Anna by Rachel Barenbaum

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

It is hard to put this book into words. The complexity and the depth are unlike anything I’ve ever read before. The story is devastating. I don’t think I’ve ever cried so much over a book! Barenbaum does a magnificent job of making you care about the characters. Watching the story unfold was like watching a catastrophe in slow motion- one I had no power to stop. The ending was well done and left me with all the right questions. It wasn’t a neat or tidy ending, which fits the rest of the book. Things are never black or white, right or wrong. Life is messy and I think this book is a magnificent portrayal of that messiness. I’ll be thinking about “Atomic Anna” for a very long time. 

Ambience recommendation (I listened to this through the whole novel & feel it added a lot to my experience!): https://youtu.be/aYTeoqe0cNU
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