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Neon's Nerd Nexus (360 KP) rated Little Joe (2019) in Movies
Jun 15, 2020
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Saving Ruby King in Books
Jun 18, 2020
"I'm stitched together by the lies I tell myself and the lies people want to believe about me." ~Alice
I found this excellent and timely book to be incredibly well-written, with a power and tenderness to it that goes far behind your typical debut novel (I had to double check that this was actually West's first novel, I was so impressed).
West tells her story from a variety of points of view--Ruby; her late mother, Alice; her father, Lebanon; her best friend, Layla; Layla's father, a pastor; and more. We even hear from a central figure in all of these characters' lives--their church, via its omnipresent voice. The plot spans generations, with West giving a nuanced look at each of her complex characters. She does an amazing job of showing the power of family, for both good and bad. How choices can affect generations: one person's bad decisions can pass poison on, with children reliving dysfunction and sins.
"How can there be a me without her?" ~Ruby
No one is simply good or bad here, though Lebanon is not an easy-to-like man. Abused and neglected by his own parent, Sara, we see how Sara's neglect has turned Lebanon hard. But West is such a good writer that Lebanon is not a one-dimensional bad guy, as much as you want to hate him. I was incredibly impressed at how she could create sympathy for so many of her players, even when they did despicable things.
"Without Sara, who do I blame for...being me? Are children supposed to forgive their parents for the horrible things they've done?" ~Lebanon
This novel does an impressive job at delving into racism, domestic abuse, and sexual assault and trauma. The city of Chicago appears as its own character, springing to life via West's lovely prose. She expertly shows the difficulties black people face on the south side (and in general). I read this book during George Floyd's murder and found myself highlighting passages about police brutality that just hit me right in the gut. It's very powerful.
West's book features a variety of characters--they can be hard to keep track of at first, and I was glad to have the family tree in the beginning of the book. A few times the plot felt repetitious and the middle dragged a bit, but it picked up in the second half. There's a surprising amount of twists and turns. Overall, this is a realistic look at racism and domestic violence, but also friendship. It's quite well-written and layered with a twinge of hope throughout. I can't wait to see what West writes next. 4+ stars.
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated The Companion in Books
Jan 8, 2021
After losing her parents and two younger sisters in a car accident, Margot is sent to the state institution as she has no other family. There, she has vivid nightmares that leave her screaming at night. The other orphans at the institution call her lucky although Margot isn't sure she'd consider herself lucky. When she is chosen by a rich family to come live with them at their large and gorgeous home, Margot's luck may be changing. However, it doesn't seem like it's for the better. Strange things are happening at Margot's new home. Plus, she's meant to play companion for the sick and mute Agatha. On the plus side, her nightmares have seemed to stop but at what price?
The plot of The Companion was a very strong one and had quite the creepy vibe to it which I thoroughly enjoyed. Everything about about the plot was solid and flowed smoothly. The pacing was superb, and I found myself dying to know what would happen next. In fact, I felt like I was actually part of the narrative the whole time. There are a few plot twists although I felt that most were easy to figure out long before they were revealed. While the majority of The Companion was a great read, the last 100 or so pages let this book down. Margot, the protagonist of the story, seems to lose her brain and common sense towards the ending of the novel. She does some really dumb things that put her life in danger. I had a hard time believing that anyone could be that dumb. Other than that, the rest of the story is really great! Loose ends are tied up by the end of the book. However, I would have liked to know how the flowers grew so quickly by a certain grave, but that's probably just a me thing.
All of the characters in The Companion were fleshed out enough to feel realistic. The only exception was Margot towards the end of the book as stated earlier. She started out so strong and smart, it was kind of a shock to see her dumbed down towards the ending. I had really enjoyed her character and her hunger to find out what was really going on when it came to Agatha as well as what happened to Lily. Agatha was definitely my favorite character. I loved how helpful and strong she tried to be despite what was going on with her. I liked Barrett, but I just wish he would have fought a bit harder to try to help Margot instead of just giving in all the time to his mom. Laura was definitely an interesting character for sure. I enjoyed trying to figure out her story alongside Margot. I felt that Laura was the best written character in The Companion.
Trigger warnings for The Companion include minor violence, death, murder, attempted murder, some heavy kissing, drugging, and gaslighting.
Although the last hundred pages do take away from the book a little, The Companion is still a worthwhile read. It does have an interesting plot and characters and will have you hooked from the very first page. I would recommend The Companion by Katie Alender to those aged 13+ who love a suspenseful story.