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3.41 AVERAGE
3.41 AVERAGE
Evil twin! This was pretty fun, though I thought the ending was a bit bland. Occasionally I had trouble telling whether we were in the past or present, since it keeps switching. But I did enjoy it a lot!
This novel was brilliant. The language threw me at first, but I quickly adapted and grew to love its unique brusqueness. The characters were intricate, dynamic and empathetic throughout. Several scenes in the book even left me feeling nauseous or claustrophobic, which is quite an accomplishment. I haven't read anything so achingly original in a long time and it benefited so much from not being weighed down with bogus detail. I would highly recommend this book.
Takes a while to get into, but then really pulls you in.
This book was amazing! An up close and personal look deep inside a very broken mind and soul, this book kept me riveted from beginning to end! The road from "normal" to "broken" and then, finally to "healed" was presented in a back & forth manner with chapters alternating between past and present in a manner that added depth so wonderfully to the story and main character! IMPRESSED!!
When identical twins Helen and Ellie are six years old, they decide to play a game in which they switch places. They change clothes, mannerisms, and their entire personalities. They fool most everyone in their lives, including their own mother. Ellie, who has always been the less favored girl, learns that being in her sister's place is a vast improvement over the way she's been treated--and quickly declares to Helen that she will not switch back. Though Helen tries her hardest to explain to her mother what is happening, no one believes her. As time passes, Helen becomes more and more emotionally distressed until she begins to suffer complete disconnects from reality--while her twin thrives.
This novel brings forward the struggles of a person with bipolar disorder, and the events in her life that led her to her many breaking points. You don't really like or dislike Helen (or Smudge as she comes to be called), but you do feel for her and get angry both for her and at her. Mental health is a hot button issue in America at the present time, and though this book takes place in the UK, a lot of parallels can be seen; those who are mentally ill are looked over, even and especially by their own families, and once they are adults they are largely on their own.
I did not like the way the book switched back and forth in both the past and future, and second and third person points of view. After some time I got used to it, but it did pull me out of the plot a bit at every switch.
The author does an amazing job at her characterization of Smudge. Seeing a character from the very beginning up through her adulthood truly helps you understand her motives, though the reasoning may not make much sense to you as a reader. Smudge might be blamed for her own failures in life, but she also got a bad lot in life with a father who also suffered from mental health issues and a non-nurturing mother who refused to recognize what was right in front of her.
If you're looking for a book with rich characterization and a great flow, you should check out Beside Myself. Be warned, this is not a feel good novel by any means and may contain several triggers for those who have anxiety or PTSD. There is not really a happy ending, but the story is very real.
This novel brings forward the struggles of a person with bipolar disorder, and the events in her life that led her to her many breaking points. You don't really like or dislike Helen (or Smudge as she comes to be called), but you do feel for her and get angry both for her and at her. Mental health is a hot button issue in America at the present time, and though this book takes place in the UK, a lot of parallels can be seen; those who are mentally ill are looked over, even and especially by their own families, and once they are adults they are largely on their own.
I did not like the way the book switched back and forth in both the past and future, and second and third person points of view. After some time I got used to it, but it did pull me out of the plot a bit at every switch.
The author does an amazing job at her characterization of Smudge. Seeing a character from the very beginning up through her adulthood truly helps you understand her motives, though the reasoning may not make much sense to you as a reader. Smudge might be blamed for her own failures in life, but she also got a bad lot in life with a father who also suffered from mental health issues and a non-nurturing mother who refused to recognize what was right in front of her.
If you're looking for a book with rich characterization and a great flow, you should check out Beside Myself. Be warned, this is not a feel good novel by any means and may contain several triggers for those who have anxiety or PTSD. There is not really a happy ending, but the story is very real.
dark
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A sad and dark story about identical twins Ellie and Helen, who decide to switch identities in a prank that goes horribly wrong. Mental health issues are the underlying theme here and it makes for uncomfortable reading at times.
Once started this book is very difficult to put down and whilst I can't say it was a book I 'enjoyed' in the usual sense of the word, it was nevertheless a fascinating read. Most of the characters aren't particularly likeable, but even so I did find myself feeling some empathy for them at times, even when I really didn't want to.
'Beside Myself' is a darkly disturbing but fascinating book that kept me gripped right to the very end. A highly recommended 4.5 stars.
Once started this book is very difficult to put down and whilst I can't say it was a book I 'enjoyed' in the usual sense of the word, it was nevertheless a fascinating read. Most of the characters aren't particularly likeable, but even so I did find myself feeling some empathy for them at times, even when I really didn't want to.
'Beside Myself' is a darkly disturbing but fascinating book that kept me gripped right to the very end. A highly recommended 4.5 stars.
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Check out the full review at Kritters Ramblings
A set of twins that at an early age play a game and switch places which I imagine most twins do, but one twin decides she likes the swap and convinces everyone that she is now not herself and continues to live her life as the other twin. This sets crazy things in motion. Told in alternating chapters between the past when the switch happens and the present when a twin has been in an accident and is in coma and the other twin is pulled back into her life.
First, let me say that this is told from one point of view and the reader is basically told that she is untrustworthy and I am not usually a fan of untrustworthy narrators and this book proved my point. I spent more time in the book guessing as to if what she was saying was truth and even just trying to figure out what she was trying to tell me then I like to do actually just reading the story.
A set of twins that at an early age play a game and switch places which I imagine most twins do, but one twin decides she likes the swap and convinces everyone that she is now not herself and continues to live her life as the other twin. This sets crazy things in motion. Told in alternating chapters between the past when the switch happens and the present when a twin has been in an accident and is in coma and the other twin is pulled back into her life.
First, let me say that this is told from one point of view and the reader is basically told that she is untrustworthy and I am not usually a fan of untrustworthy narrators and this book proved my point. I spent more time in the book guessing as to if what she was saying was truth and even just trying to figure out what she was trying to tell me then I like to do actually just reading the story.