In fact, most of the things I didn’t like about the novel, I understand, so I respect. I feel like knowing their battles with mental illness, or with coming out, or with whatever it is their dealing with would have really heightened the novel, but I understand the author’s choice to just focus on Sam. I wish that we had got to explore some of the secondary characters, because they all seem lovely and interesting, and we only just get a taste of most of their backstories. Every Last Word is, above all else, honest.
I really appreciate how the novel isn’t black and white, and how it really lets you see that mental illness is an ever-changing spectrum: it’s not as simple as something that you have or you don’t, and it’s not something that disappears over night. Sam’s OCD changes throughout the novel, and it’s up to the reader to decide if it changes for better or for worse. It’s about Sam dealing with her obsessions and learning how to talk to people honestly, and how sometimes one step back can lead to two steps forward. The plot is a basic boy-meets-girl, but that’s okay, since the novel is a character piece rather than a plot driven narrative. It’s not about dying because of mental illness rather, it’s about living a full life and finding those beautiful friendships that will support you through it all. And that’s important.Įvery Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone is an important novel because it is a honest portrayal of a girl, Sam, who is diagnosed with OCD, with focus on “obsessive” rather than “compulsive.” The novel dives deep into Sam’s battle with OCD without ever feeling heavy and hopeless.
0 kommentar(er)
