Art (2)

Book Review: What I Want You to See

What I Want You to See

by Catherine Linka

Pub Date: 04 Feb 2020

read courtesy of Netgalley.com 

As a YA School Librarian, I try to read books from the perspective of my students. Although I've given this story a 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ for its story, I can only see it being a 3 ⭐⭐⭐ for my high school students. I loved the story and the style of writing, but I'm just not sure it's the type of story my students would enjoy. It's hard to say what about it does this: perhaps part writing style, part narrow character/plot appeal. The ability of a reader to relate to the world of an artist might affect how receptive the reader will be to this story. If it weren't for an art teacher in my current school who works with encaustics (hot wax painting), I might have been more lost in the story. 

Personally, I liked the writing style; although, it did take a bit of getting used to; but once I did, I flew through the rest of the story. It isn't a "great literature" style, more like both sophisticated and terse at the same time. The juxtaposition of style matches the main character's, Sabine's, duality, a teenager who has to grow into adulthood alone.

Linka fleshed out believable characters with realistic dialogue. Her characters don't feel cookie cutter or stereotypical. She didn't have to exaggerate or embellish and thereby kept her characters true to themselves. Linka also accomplished something I find that quite a few of the authors I read have a problem doing: she provided a satisfying and not forced ending to the story.

I appreciated the internal dialogues Sabine has with herself regarding morality. She ended up doing something that was morally correct and personally difficult. I found myself questioning myself as to what I might have done and when I might have done it. I can ask no more from an author than this: I was engaged in the story!



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I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

I'll Give You the SunI'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Love, love, love this author and this second book by Jandy Nelson has so much to savor and enjoy. I have to agree with my friend, Tiff Emerick, I did not want it to end. I kept reading small bits, hoping that would make the love, drama, brother/sister dysfunction, family sagas, and the art that wove its way through the plot, the characters, and healing last forever. Twins Jude and Noah tell parts of the story at different ages. At a certain point, what they once had so much of- love, honesty, and sharing became jealousy, lies and separation. Nelson's characters affected me deeply- not just Noah and Jude, but their mom (and her ghost), their grandmother's ghost, Brian, the English model and the crazy artist who takes Jude on as a student. There is so much to love about this novel, but I will leave you with the beauty of Nelson's words as Noah describes Brian, "I swear I can see sound, the dark green howling wind, the crimson crush of rain- all these sound-colors swirling around my room while I lie on my bed thinking about Brian. His name when I say it aloud: Azul." This is a must read; you will laugh, cry, sing, and sigh. The words evoke such wonderful colors, images, and emotions.


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