Welcome to Litsy!

This book has the most beautiful cover I‘ve seen all year. And it fits the story with its delicate trees and deer.
Siblings Willa and Justin are both so delicate and vulnerable. Their father died and their mother is not the loving kind and they are close and hang on to each other. But somewhere along the line the balance shifts and Willa becomes the caretaker of her brother. Which she doesn‘t want, and neither does he. ⬇️

#WeeklyForecast 30/23

I am excited about this week‘s plans. I am about to finish The Night Country by Stewart O‘Nan and will start the tagged book, which I‘ve been meaning to read since I discovered it for the #CampLitsy23 longlist. Speaking of Camp, our next read, Romantic Comedy, I want to read as well this week. And if there‘s time I‘ll make a start with Lone Women for #CampToB.

^^p178 what he really wanted, love & identity, a desperation of self

P177 “He remembered to smile and decided it would be best not to talk too much, but listen to Shivam talk.”

P107 “I just got this feeling like I wanted to be rearranged.”

P9 “She placed tiny paper leaves on the water‘s surface with tweezers. A simple piece with little going on. Anyone but her would see nothing meaningful. So she‘d failed, but continue to work on it anyway.”

Family dysfunction in clipped, dry sentences, narration like a report, building, building. Telling truths in simple phrasings. Vulnerability. Control. Siblings. Long recoveries, ups & downs. Clinging to companionship. Wariness & confidence. Daily struggle. Homophobia & violence. Memory & brain injury. Baseline pain. P 192 “It was torture, waiting to trust someone.” P22 “Refold all the towels you want, Willa wanted to say, he‘s still dead.” 2023

This is a breathtaking debut - it‘s quiet and raw and the pain & trauma is felt in every simple sentence. I did struggle with the nonlinear timeline and wonder if it would have read differently in print instead of audio. I was gripped with a sense of dread the entire time I spent with this book but I never wanted to stop listening. There‘s a vulnerability and innocence in both main characters, siblings Justin & Willa which was beautiful.

SUPER UNSETTLING - Great suggestion @BarbaraBB
Would have been a wonderful book for #CampLitsy23
I‘m feeling stressed from reading this book - there‘s a menacing undertone