My Not-So-Fairy-Tale Life by Julie Wright
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Oh wow! I had bought this for my daughter a couple years ago but never got around to reading it myself. I have been missing out!
This is a must-read for any teenager (especially LDS ones) who feels like they don’t fit in or who find themselves feeling alone and in a dark place. It is equally important of a read for the parents of said youth.
It has been awhile since a book has affected me this much. And it has more to do with things I needed to hear for me than with “understanding” a teenager.
Setting: The first part of the book takes place somewhere on the East Coast (if it was said, I don’t remember). But the majority of the time is spend in Utah. The culture shock alone is a great conflict for the protagonist. Not much time is spent on actually describing the scenery, but I think it works well with Suzanna’s state of mind and her “world” of self. Gradually, as the book progresses, more and more of the setting comes into focus – a nice touch by the author to highlight the changes for the character.
Plot: Suzanna is a troubled 22 year old girl who finds out she is pregnant. With no job, no real friends, and no parent support, she has to decide what to do with her life and the life of her baby. She decides to head to her newly-married brother’s house in Utah where she has to deal with a critical sister-in-law and with having to go to a strange church.
Conflict: Her family situation is full of conflict – from an abusive and selfish parent to a brother who expects more from her than she wants from herself. There is conflict about religion, and about love. There is conflict about abortion and about life choices.
Characters: Suzanna is a great character. She makes some poor choices and acts out, but when seen against the backdrop of her childhood, we give her lots of sympathy. This is the brilliance of a first person narrative. It allows the reader to give her room to develop and grow instead of giving condemnation and judgment. I love the conflict in her interaction with her parents and with her brother and his wife. The relationship between her and the love interest is also quite sweet.
Text: The first-person point of view is perfect for this story and the writing was excellent.
NaNoWriMo
