A review by threesixtyrhi
My Absolute Darling by Gabriel Tallent
3.0
14 year old Turtle lives an unconventional life with her father on the California coast. Her father is abusive and violent, but a survivalist who has taught Turtle to live off the land. She navigates school, friendship, and her first crush while keeping secret the realities of her home life.
+ First off, Turtle is a wonderful character. She is strong and smart, brave, and a fighter. She's just such a badass! It was really great seeing her transformation towards the end as well, in becoming more empathetic towards others and finally gathering up the courage to face her father. Also, the way the author describes the scenery and landscape where Turtle lives is just beautiful. There is a lot of writing about wildlife and specific plants, which does a good job of setting the story.
- Turtle's crush, Jacob, was a more minor character than I was anticipating based on the jacket description. There wasn't a whole lot of details about the progression of their relationship, other than Turtle realizing she has a crush on him. And then she pushes him away for half the book? I also felt like the book ended a bit abruptly, or maybe I wasn't getting the full closure I was hoping for. I kept expecting it to wrap back around to Jacob, but it never really did.
+ First off, Turtle is a wonderful character. She is strong and smart, brave, and a fighter. She's just such a badass! It was really great seeing her transformation towards the end as well, in becoming more empathetic towards others and finally gathering up the courage to face her father. Also, the way the author describes the scenery and landscape where Turtle lives is just beautiful. There is a lot of writing about wildlife and specific plants, which does a good job of setting the story.
- Turtle's crush, Jacob, was a more minor character than I was anticipating based on the jacket description. There wasn't a whole lot of details about the progression of their relationship, other than Turtle realizing she has a crush on him. And then she pushes him away for half the book? I also felt like the book ended a bit abruptly, or maybe I wasn't getting the full closure I was hoping for. I kept expecting it to wrap back around to Jacob, but it never really did.