A review by chalkletters
Dumplin' by Julie Murphy

inspiring lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.25

I really want to love Dumplin’. I’ve been eyeing it on my TBR for weeks, hoping that I’d enjoy it more a second time around. It’s the kind of story I’m often drawn to: a young woman who has a difficult relationship with her family finds a group of friends who empower her and who she can empower in turn. Dumplin’ definitely has elements of that, but I just can’t love it as much as I want to. 

Willowdean is a character I have a lot in common with. For a start, her fights with her mum are every fight I ever had with my mum — from the greeting the comes with an appearance-based criticism to the ‘I just want you to be happy’. Beyond that, I also related to certain ways Will thinks throughout the novel. I think that’s why I want to like Dumplin’, because I rarely see myself reflected in characters.

My main problem is that Will’s character arc left me unconvinced. She kept saying she wasn’t body conscious, that she had bags of confidence to be herself, but that never came across. Maybe I was supposed to read into it that she was lying to herself, but, in that case, the ending where she finally believes in her own worth would come from nowhere. She makes a point about being all things, the good and the bad, the highs and the lows, which is another thing that I relate to — but at no prior point did that seem to be something she was struggling with! It’s not so much a character arc as a character meander, and that might be realistic, but it’s not very satisfying. 

That said, the side characters, who have more straightforward arcs, work really well. I love Millie the most, there’s something wonderful about how sweet she is, and yet still willing to go after what she wants. Hannah is great, too, and Amanda, they all have well-deserved moments of triumph. Perhaps if this were more of an ensemble story, it would work better, but it really is All About Will for most of the book, which makes her a little less likeable. 

Sadly, I won’t be bumping this up from my previous two-star review.
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