Welcome to Litsy!

There is a palpable tension and anxiety that builds in this novel because the MC Sunday seems so vulnerable, though there isn‘t anything explicitly threatening in it. I could feel how Sunday‘s rich inner emotional life conflicted with the flat affect of autism she presented. It was a relief when she quit struggling to conform to social expectations and allowed herself to just be. Worth a reread!

This book. 💔 An exquisitely written, heart wrenching story of motherhood, cruelty and betrayal. The narcissistic Vita and cowardly Rolls. Beautiful Sunday. And young Dolly in the middle of it all. A powerful start to my reading year.

Thus far 2024 has been the year of reading emotionally devastating books. I don‘t know if it was the title that had me expecting something else, but this is one that will stay with me for a very long time. Just exquisite.

This book reminded me of how in nature when there is a bird who is different or injured, so then all the other birds gang up on it and peck it to death. That‘s how I felt poor Sunday was treated by everyone around her, including her daughter Dolly. I had a sense of dread throughout waiting for Sundays heart to be smashed to pieces and mine with it. The hospital scene with her mother made me sob it was so brutal and cruel. It was refreshing to ⬇️

This is why I read the entire Booker longlist. Otherwise I never pick this gem up. A novel narrated by an autistic mother trying to navigate her daughter‘s teen years. The whole perspective is quirky and works elegantly. We learn about ourselves as our narrator tries to understand the people around her. But her emotions are a mother‘s and we feel them too. There‘s a lot of interesting stuff going in here. I found it terrific and rewarding.

Some of the summaries of this book say it‘s funny! I know my sense of humour is out of kilter with the general public, but I found this one of the saddest, melancholy books I‘ve ever read.
Poor Sunday 🥲💔

This book reads very different to what I‘m used to and I welcomed the challenge. It was such an interesting story and I found myself really caring and becoming protective of the protagonist, Sunday.

The author is autistic and that adds more depth to the story. I am a fast reader and I found myself slowing down and re-reading paragraphs because I felt my reading needed to match the narration.

Enjoyed this one!

4⭐️ #NetGalley

Trying to work out if I actually liked this book 🤔
It was certainly riveting, at times as tense and horrific as any domestic thriller or horror novel. But I came to really dislike most of the characters, and in the end I was just a bit 🤨😯😑 ..really?
Might need to let this one settle a bit and see if it's really 'unforgettable' like it says on the cover.

I am posting one book per day from my extensive to-be-read collection. No description and providing no reason for wanting to read it, I just do. Some will be old, some will be new. Don‘t judge me - I have a lot of books. Join in if you want!

#ABookADay2023

Of course, I couldn‘t do some shopping without getting a couple things for myself! #BookHaul British Anthology from the second hand shop I went to and the cookbook was on sale at Anthropologie. Not pictured is the field guide of North American trees I got for my mom (but I might read it first 😆)