Amelia's Reviews > Goldengrove

Sometimes I read books with really poetic language and it irritates me, because I feel like the author's trying too hard (example: Echo by Francesca Lia Block). Although Prose's language in this book was indeed poetic, it wasn't overly so, and that's what pulled me in.

I liked this, although it was quite different from the satire I'm used to from Prose. Didn't know what I'd think of it; picked this up on sale at a bookstore that was going out of business. It had this creepy effect on me. It made me think about my relationship with my own sister. I don't think about her much usually; we're not especially close. This irritates our parents, who have an odd thing in common: they've both lost an older sibling.

Some people have criticized this book for its lack of plot. But grief lacks plot. The days pass and things happen and those things catch you off-guard because you're forced to realize that the world doesn't stop with you.

So high five, Francine Prose, for capturing that.