Our Chemical Hearts by Krystal Sutherland / Review
You know that feeling you get when you finish a book and you don't quite feel...right? Like you're still somehow submerged in the lives of the characters you've come to know as more than just fiction? Like your brain has gone into overdrive? I wanted to write this review in the heat of that moment, having finished Our Chemical Hearts just minutes ago.
Henry is a teenage boy who, despite having good relationships with his friends and family, is just not interested in girls. He keeps up with his school work and socializes with classmates, but he just has no real need for a girlfriend. Until he meets Grace Town.
Grace is unlike any other girl Henry has ever know. She dresses in boys clothes and frequently seems unwashed and tired. Her sallow features resemble a drug addict deprived of nutrition, and yet Henry is drawn to her in a way he's never been drawn to anything. But Grace is like a Kintsukuroi bowl: she has been broken into more pieces than she can count and in Henry's mind, he is the golden seams that will glue her back together.
This novel is perfect for anyone who has ever dealt with any form of heartbreak. The character of Grace is so tragic and broken that you can't help but forgive her and the character of Henry is so honest and eloquently portrays a deep addiction to another soul. The characters of Lola, Murray and Sadie made me envy their relationship to Henry. Whilst I was invested in the sort-of love story of Grace and Henry, I also admired the relationships Henry has with his friends and sister.
I almost didn't read this. The first few pages reminded me of just another high-school novel with cringey terms like 'dude' and 'man', but once you get past the occasional cringe, the underlying story is beautiful and the lexis is later beautiful and poignant, I promise. At times, I physically cried as I flicked through the pages, which is no easy feat. This book will mend you and break you, over and over again, and I highly encourage you to read it.
If the rumours are true and a movie is in the works, I will be the first at the cinema door.
Henry is a teenage boy who, despite having good relationships with his friends and family, is just not interested in girls. He keeps up with his school work and socializes with classmates, but he just has no real need for a girlfriend. Until he meets Grace Town.
Grace is unlike any other girl Henry has ever know. She dresses in boys clothes and frequently seems unwashed and tired. Her sallow features resemble a drug addict deprived of nutrition, and yet Henry is drawn to her in a way he's never been drawn to anything. But Grace is like a Kintsukuroi bowl: she has been broken into more pieces than she can count and in Henry's mind, he is the golden seams that will glue her back together.
This novel is perfect for anyone who has ever dealt with any form of heartbreak. The character of Grace is so tragic and broken that you can't help but forgive her and the character of Henry is so honest and eloquently portrays a deep addiction to another soul. The characters of Lola, Murray and Sadie made me envy their relationship to Henry. Whilst I was invested in the sort-of love story of Grace and Henry, I also admired the relationships Henry has with his friends and sister.
I almost didn't read this. The first few pages reminded me of just another high-school novel with cringey terms like 'dude' and 'man', but once you get past the occasional cringe, the underlying story is beautiful and the lexis is later beautiful and poignant, I promise. At times, I physically cried as I flicked through the pages, which is no easy feat. This book will mend you and break you, over and over again, and I highly encourage you to read it.
If the rumours are true and a movie is in the works, I will be the first at the cinema door.