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A review by mo_mentan
My Name is Leon by Kit de Waal
5.0
*4.5
i loved this.
i thought this would be a full blown coming-of-age novel spanning years or even decades, but actually, the story takes place over just about a year. and yet, we learn so much about leon, the foster system that shapes his life and the world he lives in.
the characters are absolutely exceptional. leon, carol, tina, maureen, silvia, tufty and the irish man at the allotment, even the zebra. they all have their flaws, their questionable choices and good hearts. they all try their best in a system that is made to fuck people up.
i especially enjoyed the way this book wasn't trying desperately to devastate its readers with the worst things that could possibly happen to a child in foster care. there is neither physical nor sexual nor intentional psychological abuse. it just shows how devastating the world and the system are to their most vulnarable inhabitants. but it also shows how kind people can be, how they can get it all wrong even when they are trying their best. i especially enjoyed leons relationships with maureen and tufty. they felt so real and not idealised, nuanced, loving.
where this novel is weaker, and this may well be because it is told from the perspective of a child, is in the way systemic issues are somewhat individualized or made to seem like individual bad people just decide to be mean. i enjoyed all the characters that were well fleshed out and even the one's that weren't (like the shop keeper or crazy rose), but the cops just seemed like carricatures - which didn't help to underline that police brutality doesn't happen because of bad apples. however, i thought the thing with the cop who loses his helmet was - while maybe somewhat too easy - also quite successful. i do think individual policepeople should be humanised - without shying away from condemning them for their profession.
i do agree with some reviewers that the ending felt somewhat rushed. i would have loved to learn a tiny bit more about jake or about how leon and he might see each other again - or might not. apart from that it did feel very realistic and i was glad i didn't have to sob through a devastating death or something. once again, a big shout out to the author to make this book heartbreaking and beautiful without loads of death or abuse. not having maureen die is somehow an extraordinary choice, because i was so sure she would - because people like her always die in books like this. and i know, of course, that tracig things do happen all the time, but i think sometimes understanding that situations like these are absolutely devastating even when you're lucky is important, too.
i think i learned quite a lot about my future profession. which is often very uncomfortable but also very necessary.
i'm very much looking forward to reading the short stories.
also, on a side note: the audio book narrator was fantastic!
i loved this.
i thought this would be a full blown coming-of-age novel spanning years or even decades, but actually, the story takes place over just about a year. and yet, we learn so much about leon, the foster system that shapes his life and the world he lives in.
the characters are absolutely exceptional. leon, carol, tina, maureen, silvia, tufty and the irish man at the allotment, even the zebra. they all have their flaws, their questionable choices and good hearts. they all try their best in a system that is made to fuck people up.
i especially enjoyed the way this book wasn't trying desperately to devastate its readers with the worst things that could possibly happen to a child in foster care. there is neither physical nor sexual nor intentional psychological abuse. it just shows how devastating the world and the system are to their most vulnarable inhabitants. but it also shows how kind people can be, how they can get it all wrong even when they are trying their best. i especially enjoyed leons relationships with maureen and tufty. they felt so real and not idealised, nuanced, loving.
where this novel is weaker, and this may well be because it is told from the perspective of a child, is in the way systemic issues are somewhat individualized or made to seem like individual bad people just decide to be mean. i enjoyed all the characters that were well fleshed out and even the one's that weren't (like the shop keeper or crazy rose), but the cops just seemed like carricatures - which didn't help to underline that police brutality doesn't happen because of bad apples. however, i thought the thing with the cop who loses his helmet was - while maybe somewhat too easy - also quite successful. i do think individual policepeople should be humanised - without shying away from condemning them for their profession.
i do agree with some reviewers that the ending felt somewhat rushed. i would have loved to learn a tiny bit more about jake or about how leon and he might see each other again - or might not. apart from that it did feel very realistic and i was glad i didn't have to sob through a devastating death or something. once again, a big shout out to the author to make this book heartbreaking and beautiful without loads of death or abuse. not having maureen die is somehow an extraordinary choice, because i was so sure she would - because people like her always die in books like this. and i know, of course, that tracig things do happen all the time, but i think sometimes understanding that situations like these are absolutely devastating even when you're lucky is important, too.
i think i learned quite a lot about my future profession. which is often very uncomfortable but also very necessary.
i'm very much looking forward to reading the short stories.
also, on a side note: the audio book narrator was fantastic!