narrated by Jorjeana Marie
Unabridged audio (11:08)2016
364 pgs.
Adult CRF
Finished 2/7/2021
Goodreads rating: 4.04 - 105,166 ratings
My rating: 5
Setting: Contemporary midwest
First line/s: "Amy: March 1975. My mother always started the story by saying, 'Well, she was born in the back seat of a stranger's car,' as though that explained why Wavy wasn't normal."
My comments: Wow. Just Wow. Once I started the story I couldn't stop. Difficult subject matter, but beautifully written. So many reviewers have said it far better than I ever could, and I will copy some of their worda below. So much to think about, so much to discuss. This was a truly magnificent piece of storytelling that will stay with me for a long time to come.
"What to say about a book like this? That's it's beautifully written? That you find yourself caring immensely about the two main characters? Or that it's a dangerous and disturbing plot line that deals with an inappropriate love? But if Wavy and Kellen don't care for each other, who will? Because these two have both had miserable lives without the benefit of anyone to take care of them, let alone love them. This book just rocked me. It had me questioning my assumptions about right and wrong".-Liz Wright
"This book destroyed me. I have never read anything like it. If you know the basic premise - that this is a so-called "love story" between an adult man and a female child - you might be thinking Lolita! But nah, All the Ugly and Wonderful Things is a completely different beast.
Ugly and wonderful really are great descriptors for this story. The best thing about it is the completely unsentimental storytelling that, with its constant switching between perspectives, as well as alternating first and third person, beautifully presents a dark tale of childhood, family and abuse.
It's so... not manipulative. The author narrates a series of events, using gorgeous writing, but it's a fantastic example of how showing works so much better than telling. We are never told how to feel. We are allowed to be disgusted, sad and angry on our own terms, and we are allowed to draw our own conclusions about the relationship this book portrays.
I came to the end of the novel with my mind reeling, my emotions scattered, and completely unsure exactly what I did feel about it... but one thing is certain: I felt. Oh hell, I felt." - Emily May
Goodreads synopsis: As the daughter of a meth dealer, Wavy knows not to trust people, not even her own parents. Struggling to raise her little brother, eight-year-old Wavy is the only responsible "adult" around. She finds peace in the starry Midwestern night sky above the fields behind her house. One night everything changes when she witnesses one of her father's thugs, Kellen, a tattooed ex-con with a heart of gold, wreck his motorcycle. What follows is a powerful and shocking love story between two unlikely people that asks tough questions, reminding us of all the ugly and wonderful things that life has to offer.
Ugly and wonderful really are great descriptors for this story. The best thing about it is the completely unsentimental storytelling that, with its constant switching between perspectives, as well as alternating first and third person, beautifully presents a dark tale of childhood, family and abuse.
It's so... not manipulative. The author narrates a series of events, using gorgeous writing, but it's a fantastic example of how showing works so much better than telling. We are never told how to feel. We are allowed to be disgusted, sad and angry on our own terms, and we are allowed to draw our own conclusions about the relationship this book portrays.
I came to the end of the novel with my mind reeling, my emotions scattered, and completely unsure exactly what I did feel about it... but one thing is certain: I felt. Oh hell, I felt." - Emily May
Goodreads synopsis: As the daughter of a meth dealer, Wavy knows not to trust people, not even her own parents. Struggling to raise her little brother, eight-year-old Wavy is the only responsible "adult" around. She finds peace in the starry Midwestern night sky above the fields behind her house. One night everything changes when she witnesses one of her father's thugs, Kellen, a tattooed ex-con with a heart of gold, wreck his motorcycle. What follows is a powerful and shocking love story between two unlikely people that asks tough questions, reminding us of all the ugly and wonderful things that life has to offer.
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