"It was like an alien had landed. Really, it was that weird. Like an ancient creature from another planet had crashed into Katie's day."Unbecoming ~ by Jenny Downham, 2016, fiction
Katie's life is falling apart: her best friend thinks she's a freak, her mother, Caroline, controls every aspect of her life, and her estranged grandmother, Mary, appears as if out of nowhere. Mary has dementia and needs lots of care, and when Katie starts putting together Mary's life story, secrets and lies are uncovered: Mary's illegitimate baby, her zest for life and freedom and men; the way she lived her life to the full yet suffered huge sacrifices along the way. As the relationship between Mary and Caroline is explored, Katie begins to understand her own mother's behavior, and from that insight, the terrors about her sexuality, her future, and her younger brother are all put into perspective.
Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts Book Beginnings on Fridays. Click here for today's Mister Linky.
4 comments:
I really liked Unbecoming. In fact I reviewed it after reading it and I wrote a pretty good review, if I do say so myself. Take a look at my review (no spoilers) at UNBECOMING
and then go back and visit my Friday Book Beginnings at TURTLES ALL THE WAY DOWN
This sounds good. As my parents get older (but certainly not old yet) I do something think of what is coming our way...
Oh I do like the sound of this! I struggle with books about Alzheimers or other memory loss but I like the idea of Katie piecing together Mary's life.
Very interesting - happy weekend!
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