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| Author: Bryn Greenwood Date Read: 06/09/17 Published: 08/09/16 Thomas Dunne Books |
I've never had a book leave me so unsure of my feelings before, with my heart so brutally at war with my head. All the Ugly and Wonderful Things is a glimpse into the ugly scene of methamphetamine labs, drug addiction, abuse, neglect, and other components of what life is like for many children in rural America. I grew up in a county that was once considered "the meth capital of the world" and I'm all too aware of what the "Vals" and "Liams" of the world look like: the gaunt faces; crazy eyes; constant, twitchy movements; and paranoia so strong that standing beside them in line at the store makes you want to crawl out of your skin. Luckily, I don't know what it was like to be raised by the "Vals" and "Liams" of the world, but this book gives a glimpse into that particular kind of hell.
Surprisingly, the abuse and neglect suffered by the main little girl in this story (Wavy) are not the main sources of discomfort in All the Ugly and Wonderful Things...
Have you ever read Nabokov's Lolita? I loudly proclaim my disgust for that literary classic at every chance I get, as the eloquent writing was just not enough to overshadow the desires so vividly described in the point of view of a perverse pedophile. Try as I may, I can't not give a shout-out to Nabokov's novel when reviewing this book. I just can't, as this is the only other book I've ever read about a relationship between a grown man and a prepubescent girl.
The differences between Lolita & Humbert and Wavy & Kellan are profound. While things most certainly eventually take a highly inappropriate, disturbingly explicit turn in All the Ugly and Wonderful Things, this is not a book about pedophilia. It truly is a love story, just a highly unconventional one and I wish I had the right words to articulate the power of this story. To Wavy; Kellan was shelter, safety, sustenance, and home. To Kellan; Wavy was the sun and stars in a world that had always been nothing but darkness. I honestly think they would not have survived without each other.
I just... don't know how to feel. I'm all mixed up inside. Only the best books have that power.
☆☆☆☆☆
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