#14 Elegies for the Brokenhearted by Christine Hodgen

I enjoyed this book a lot. I love sad stories and this book is literally sad stories. The main character "talks" to 5 people in her life who have died. She tells their stories in 2nd person: very unique, very cool to read. It made me think of what other angles and styles I can use in my own writing.

What I liked best was Hodgen's ability to understand a person for all they are. She definitely focuses on each character's worst characteristics, but she gives backgrounds to them. She explains their bad choices, their cruel personalities, their rude words... but she lets you see why they are who they became. She has this amazing and enviable way of giving each character their own style of talking, their own lexicon... I was in awe reading it most of the time.

The story in itself isn't awe-inspiring, but the characters really are.  If you are in the mood to really get to know some sad characters, read this for sure.

I also really liked her treatment of hope, of lost hope in poverty and forgottenness, of new hope (that dies) in the main character. It's hard to imagine utter poverty (money and soul) in the US for me at times, but this book is kind of like a little magnifying glass focused on a tiny part of the US.

I'd love to meet Mary Murphy (the main character) and see what she sees in me, how much she could pull out of me.

Reading while traveling to meet people doesn't allow me to read as much or as fast as I'd like, but now that we're back home I'm getting back into it. :)

Pages: 288
Total: 4115