A review by wendys_lit
Motherest by Kristen Iskandrian
4.0
This book reminds me so much of the 2007 film Juno in a lot of ways. We have an edgy teen who maybe falls in love a little too fast, gets a little too reckless, ends ups a little too pregnant. While Juno excels in funny one-liners and the true akwardness of our youth, Motherest is superb in it's visceral imagery and feel of a strained relationship between mother and her (soon-to-be-mother) daughter.
Agnes is just living life day by day really, uncertain of herself or the people around her. College is just another place to roam, filled with a number of various girls that will leave more of an impact on her than she knows. There she meets the infamous Tea Rose, a Nirvana obsessed heart-throb who no doubt rocks doc martens and heavy jackets all year, and down the rabbit hole she goes.
I really loved how emotionally driven this was. It was written so beautifully, like Agnes was really there re-counting her life with me, telling me her fears, the people she holds dear, as well as pieces of her she's still trying to understand herself. She's the definition of spunky, even if she's anxious, and a lot of times she's at odds with herself because those two traits constantly overlap. The characters were all so great, each a unique part of her story, but with their own as well, and not just ornaments to Agnes' life.
So many killer passages about familial relationships and growing up, but my favorite had to be:
"How peculiar, how intimacy has nothing to do with time. How you can feel bonded to someone in a matter of moments, if that person allows it. How you can spend years with someone--I look at Dad's profile--and only ever remain adjacent."
The only thing that stopped this from being 5 stars was the fact that there was so many loose ends. I wanted to know about Agnes' gal friends, the whole lot of them! Also felt there was a vaguness with the mother's issues. However, that small stuff aside, this was an incredible read. Agnes is a character I won't forget.
Agnes is just living life day by day really, uncertain of herself or the people around her. College is just another place to roam, filled with a number of various girls that will leave more of an impact on her than she knows. There she meets the infamous Tea Rose, a Nirvana obsessed heart-throb who no doubt rocks doc martens and heavy jackets all year, and down the rabbit hole she goes.
I really loved how emotionally driven this was. It was written so beautifully, like Agnes was really there re-counting her life with me, telling me her fears, the people she holds dear, as well as pieces of her she's still trying to understand herself. She's the definition of spunky, even if she's anxious, and a lot of times she's at odds with herself because those two traits constantly overlap. The characters were all so great, each a unique part of her story, but with their own as well, and not just ornaments to Agnes' life.
So many killer passages about familial relationships and growing up, but my favorite had to be:
"How peculiar, how intimacy has nothing to do with time. How you can feel bonded to someone in a matter of moments, if that person allows it. How you can spend years with someone--I look at Dad's profile--and only ever remain adjacent."
The only thing that stopped this from being 5 stars was the fact that there was so many loose ends. I wanted to know about Agnes' gal friends, the whole lot of them! Also felt there was a vaguness with the mother's issues. However, that small stuff aside, this was an incredible read. Agnes is a character I won't forget.