 | Meet Harrison and Anna. |
This book was hard to review. Initially, I loved it. It was heartwarming and thought provoking. Unfortunately in this instance distance has not made my heart grow fonder. In fact, the more I think of it, the more I dislike it. Is it horribly written? No. Is it an awful book? Not at all. But, I definitely have some serious gripes.
Fragile Bones is written in the alternating perspectives of the two main characters, Harrison and Anna. Harrison, who has high functioning autism, is obsessed with naming bones and watching reruns of Grey's Anatomy. His perspective is written in a very matter of fact way, supposedly mimicking his train of thought as he navigates through life. For the most part this is done with sensitivity, however there are instances when it made me uncomfortable. I felt it stripped him down to nothing more than his autism. He is denied any real emotions or opinions, it is always the autism we hear. Whilst I empathised with Anna, I found her voice hard to find. Instead of a strong voice Anna's perspective was peppered with figurative language that seemed to serve solely to remind us of Harrison's inability to comprehend beyond the literal, rather than giving Anna any depth of character.
I can respect this novel for aiming to highlight issues of diversity. It did illustrate wonderfully how disability affects the friends and family of those living with disabilities, and just how much prejudice and bullying can harm. I just don't feel that it really provided a voice for Harrison. Harrison is constantly misunderstood, even his own family constantly push him beyond his limits. Ultimately I think my main issue with this novel is it comes across as written about diversity, as opposed to being written for those who would identify with Harrison.
Would I recommend this book? I don't know. Saying no seems harsh, because I do think this novel shines light on issues of diversity. I am just not sure it achieves what it set out to do. I would recommend The Rosie Project for those interested in reading about more developed diverse characters.
I give this novel 2.5 out of 5 stars.
Thank you to Clockwise Press and Netgalley, who provided this ARC in return for an honest review.
Fragile Bones is written in the alternating perspectives of the two main characters, Harrison and Anna. Harrison, who has high functioning autism, is obsessed with naming bones and watching reruns of Grey's Anatomy. His perspective is written in a very matter of fact way, supposedly mimicking his train of thought as he navigates through life. For the most part this is done with sensitivity, however there are instances when it made me uncomfortable. I felt it stripped him down to nothing more than his autism. He is denied any real emotions or opinions, it is always the autism we hear. Whilst I empathised with Anna, I found her voice hard to find. Instead of a strong voice Anna's perspective was peppered with figurative language that seemed to serve solely to remind us of Harrison's inability to comprehend beyond the literal, rather than giving Anna any depth of character.
I can respect this novel for aiming to highlight issues of diversity. It did illustrate wonderfully how disability affects the friends and family of those living with disabilities, and just how much prejudice and bullying can harm. I just don't feel that it really provided a voice for Harrison. Harrison is constantly misunderstood, even his own family constantly push him beyond his limits. Ultimately I think my main issue with this novel is it comes across as written about diversity, as opposed to being written for those who would identify with Harrison.
Would I recommend this book? I don't know. Saying no seems harsh, because I do think this novel shines light on issues of diversity. I am just not sure it achieves what it set out to do. I would recommend The Rosie Project for those interested in reading about more developed diverse characters.
I give this novel 2.5 out of 5 stars.
Thank you to Clockwise Press and Netgalley, who provided this ARC in return for an honest review.
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