Cari Noga

I wanted to love this book; I think if it had been shorter, I may have. To me, it seemed like the intertwining plots were far more drawn out than they should have been. I thought the boy with autism was written incredibly well, but the other characters were boring and/or poorly developed, and it was hard for me to care what happened to them. (Maybe if I had even the smallest interest in birds???) This was a book I could have easily given up on. It had such potential but was just plain underwhelming.… (mere)

I received a copy of this book through Goodreads in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely love books with interrelated characters and this is by far one of the best I have read. The characters and their stories are diverse and interesting. This is an amazing work detailing human relationships of all kinds.

I also loved the portrayal of Robby. This is one of the best fictional depictions of Autism Spectrum Disorders that I have read. I love how Noga is able to present Robby's experiences in a way that gives neurological readers a glimpse into how an individual with autism may experience the world.

This book really makes the reader think about human relationships (friendship, romantic, parental) and raises big questions about morality and what is right and wrong.

While the book is a bit on the long side, I enjoyed my experience with the characters. This is a book you can jump into with both feet. You feel like you really know the characters; they are so real.… (mere)