Every book I read in 2021 summarised in one sentence and reviewed in another: Part 4
Petra’s Ghost - C.S. O’Cinneide. A widower with a haunting secret about his wife’s death hikes a Spanish pilgrimage trail, where he is confronted by ghosts of many, many forms. An interesting if oddly toned reflection on morality and guilt.
Boy Swallows Universe - Trent Dalton. In 1980′s Brisbane, Australia, a young boy who is growing up surrounded by morally grey figures, including drug dealer parents and a convicted murderer babysitter, struggles to discern exactly what a good person is. Incredibly, incredibly heartwarming, with one of the most gripping and ultimately uplifting endings I read this year.
Freedom - Jonathan Franzen. A middle-aged environmentalist struggles to keep his family together, as his wife is depressed and his arrogant son has become a Young Republican. I still don’t fully understand what the thematic point of this book is supposed to be, but I don’t care, it was an absolute joy to read.
Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel - Sara Farizan. An Iranian-American lesbian girl struggles with her sexual orientation, amongst many other existential dreads, at a private high school. This is literally the wlw version of the mlm book I’m writing and I don’t know how to feel about that, but I still enjoyed it.
The Queen’s Resistance (‘Queen’s’ Series #2) - Rebecca Ross. After winning the revolution, history major Brienna and her friends struggle to put down dissident factions while considering whether the deposed king’s young grandchildren can be expected to change their ways. Generally same-same in terms of quality as Queen’s Rising - the romantic plotline makes slightly more sense now, but is still quite questionable.
Polly Wants to be a Writer - Laura Michelle Thomas. A teenage girl with a dream to become a writer learns of her ‘literary dragon’, a companion and critic, and becomes embroiled in a plot to defend these dragons from those who wish to harm them. The melding of reality and fantasy is really weirdly done, but I love the idea of helping young, insecure writers learn to deal with their inner critics.
We Were Not Men - Campbell Mattinson. After losing their parents to a car accident, two twin boys struggle to connect with their parents, their surviving step-grandmother, and with each other. I still don’t fully know what this book was about on a thematic level, but I still really, really enjoyed it - this and Trent Dalton made me truly fall in love with Australian fiction.
Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte. In an 18th century aristocratic family, tension is introduced when the daughter falls in love with an orphan, only for their love to be forbidden by social divides and said division to have horrific consequences. I was increasingly shocked by what horrible, horrible people all the major characters are, but they all have pretty interesting villain origin stories.
The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald. A man moves to an upmarket Long Island neighbourhood and meets his enigmatic neighbour, who hosts lavish parties for the sole purpose of getting his crush to notice his wealth. The thematic statements are interesting if a little on-the-nose, but overall the book is way too short.
We Are All Good People Here - Susan Rebecca White. In 1960′s Atlanta, a young girl from a WASP family becomes aware of systemic racism when her Jewish roommate is denied entry into any sororities, only for said awareness to ultimately push her towards anarchism and an extreme, vengeance-based lifestyle. The first half of the book is an absolute, legitimate masterpiece, but the second half, while still interesting, ultimately leaves too much unresolved.