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A review by xtinareally
Goodbye Stranger by Rebecca Stead
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I know this is not really for my demographic, however I enjoy reading other genres to understand what's out there and the different types of writing styles. I am glad I borrowed this as an audiobook because I don't think I would have finished just reading this myself (and with an audiobook I was able to speed up the narration). Overall, the main characters and their family/ friendships/ hardships really grew on me even though it took a long time to get to a chapter where plot points started moving at a good pace. I still liked the story though less than an average 3-star rating. I think other middle school/early high school aged kids could read it as a good YA coming of age story.
The cons for me were mostly related to the different second and third person narration. I think what was meant to be a technique to keep an air of mystery throughout the storylines, left me more confused or feeling scattered and pulled out of the world by the jarring contrast. And in the end I felt let down once we learned who the second person perspective was and the context of what happened. It felt like that whole storyline didn't need to exist to make the story still feel whole, but I can understand how it added another theme or element by mkaing the reader almost becomes the character to learn about consequences of our actions.
The cons for me were mostly related to the different second and third person narration. I think what was meant to be a technique to keep an air of mystery throughout the storylines, left me more confused or feeling scattered and pulled out of the world by the jarring contrast. And in the end I felt let down once we learned who the second person perspective was and the context of what happened. It felt like that whole storyline didn't need to exist to make the story still feel whole, but I can understand how it added another theme or element by mkaing the reader almost becomes the character to learn about consequences of our actions.