'Falling into Place' by Amy Zhang // Book Review
Now I for one, love to read reviews whether it be for a particular product, website, movie, or book. What I love about reading reviews is that a particular book or movie is not seen the same by each person. All these reviews are opinionated whatever the case!
Call me weird, but these discussions make me so happy especially when you find someone with the same viewpoint. I just want to invite that particular person out for coffee to discuss it further.
Anyway, getting to the actual review.
I was recommended to read this book by a friend in my Literature class as I had finished all the John Green books out there and wanted to opt for something similar.
My friend sold this book to me quite well, and a year ago I had more time to read so I wrote this book down in my phone and the words "Falling Into Place" first entered my life.
Unfortunately, they were to be stuck in my phone for what felt like eons until I had the next urge to buy some books.
Unfortunately, they were to be stuck in my phone for what felt like eons until I had the next urge to buy some books.
Now, I am an avid reader. If a book suits all my interests, I zoom past all the pages in a few days. For this book however, lets put in a timeline:
December 2015 - Book arrives
January 2016 - Sister reads book and finishes it. She tells me it was alright.
February 2016 - I begin to read the book
August 2016 - I finish the book
I've found that the book's structure is close to what you will find in Margaret Attwood's 'Handmaid's Tale', which is a timeline that goes from past to future to present. Now, when used correctly it can really add drama to a text. However, in Zhang's book I found myself being confused for the majority of the time. I feel like this structure was not necessary, and that a typical chronological timeline would have told the story better and build up the drama more intensely. But hey, those are just my preferences. I know that from the cover it is given away that she will crash her car, but the story as a whole felt anti-climatic to me.
I prefer to be surprised when reading a book or watching a movie and when reading this I felt like it was extremely predictable. And I understand, coming up with an original idea is not easy. As a creative person, I understand that. I don't want to give out too many spoilers, but I'd like to say that the ending would have been better if it weren't so happy. It sounds sad and sort of pathetic, but the whole reason why I read books is to experience a different world that I may not get to experience in my lifetime. We are conditioned to happy endings since we were children. Sad endings throw us off because it is not what we are conditioned to. I was sad that the ending was mediocre at best, because it was building up for so long.
I'd rather experience an emotion at the end of a novel compared to the 'meh' reaction I had to Zhang's ending. To me, the ending is everything. This may not make sense if you have not read the book (sorry!) but in other words I feel as though a sad dramatic ending is what turns books into movies or TV shows; like Jay Asher's 'Thirteen Reasons Why'.
That being said, Asher's novel was published in 2007, earlier than Zhang's novel, and I am mentioning it as they both explore similar themes. This may be to many people's surprise, but I have not watched the Netflix version of 'Thirteen Reasons Why', and I admit it has been a long time since I read his book. But the ending he threw at us was unexpected and controversial to some. That is what makes books famous.
I feel as though the topic of mental health can be a hit or miss when translated into texts; but Zhang's novel is an in between. As a teenager with a history of depression, I find that the mental health issue is really misrepresented at times. That being said, everyone experiences depression differently. Depression is quite a complicated thing to describe at times, I can be fine for months until I suddenly crash and lose all my energy; part of the reason why I am trying to adopt a minimalist lifestyle.
I feel like to some readers, like my friend and sister who have read it, the novel is enjoyable. But it is a short lived enjoyment. If I were to ask my sister what happened in the novel now, she would most likely forget. For me however, I found it to be trying a bit too hard. My major concern about the novel, and one of the main reasons I dislike the novel is because it is subtly promoting the idea of suicide. This can also be applied to Jay Asher's novel however, I found that Asher's ending is more suitable because it is warning readers against the consequences of bullying. Zhang's novel on the other hand felt like it was romanticising suicide, and Liz's true desires to gain attention from people who already loved her. Yes I know, it is part of the message. But at times I feel quite offended, and I feel that others can relate.
I would also check out this review because it is exactly what I thought of the novel.
And I know that Zhang is trying to tell people that suicide is bad. I may spoil it here so don't read any further, but I feel that it sends the wrong message. Because the protagonist Liz Emerson did not die, and because she had also managed for not only her family, but one of her admirer's to worry about her, it is all a selfish act that is romanticized for potentially young readers to get ideas. I feel as though because she is a young writer, because she is an influencer, she is sending the wrong message. And I know that it is not Zhang's purpose to promote suicide, but if placed in the wrong hands it can potentially give naive readers the wrong idea. The thing I do not like about this novel is that the protagonist did not suffer any consequences to her actions. Instead, she is blessed with living again. A good thought to have is that our problems are so central and first-world that we are blessed to have a life. She is lucky enough to own a car. To receive an education. To have nothing standing in the way of her life except a bad attitude. Yes, she may have a mental issue. But so do many people. It doesn't mean that we're going to crash our Mercedes Benz's (or freaking Toyota Camry's) over a cliff.
And I feel as though Liz was a very hard person to sympathise with. Never did it ever state that she had problems with her parents (quite the opposite actually), never did it say that she was sick or dying, so there was frankly nothing in her life causing her problems except for a mild dose of bullying. And I think everyone can agree when I say that almost everyone has been bullied. And although at times it can get very out of hand, it is not the end of the world if you speak up. It is so important to let others know. And as far as I know, a lot of people are good people. It is not longer cool to be a bully. And if you're living in an environment where it is cool, then I would suggest moving out! It is so important to let people know that you're being bullied. Tell your parents, your teachers, your friends, your councillor, your psychologist. Suicide as a result of bullying is a very sad thing, but it is also so easy to prevent.
Despite my criticism, I give credit to Zhang for being able to publish something successfully at such a young age. Judging her writing, it is very poetic and well written. Judging it for the story, it is bleak and a waste of time. There are so many other great books out there on the same topic, and I think this is a prime example of it being overdone.
Thanks for reading!
-Amanda.S
January 2016 - Sister reads book and finishes it. She tells me it was alright.
February 2016 - I begin to read the book
August 2016 - I finish the book
I've found that the book's structure is close to what you will find in Margaret Attwood's 'Handmaid's Tale', which is a timeline that goes from past to future to present. Now, when used correctly it can really add drama to a text. However, in Zhang's book I found myself being confused for the majority of the time. I feel like this structure was not necessary, and that a typical chronological timeline would have told the story better and build up the drama more intensely. But hey, those are just my preferences. I know that from the cover it is given away that she will crash her car, but the story as a whole felt anti-climatic to me.
I prefer to be surprised when reading a book or watching a movie and when reading this I felt like it was extremely predictable. And I understand, coming up with an original idea is not easy. As a creative person, I understand that. I don't want to give out too many spoilers, but I'd like to say that the ending would have been better if it weren't so happy. It sounds sad and sort of pathetic, but the whole reason why I read books is to experience a different world that I may not get to experience in my lifetime. We are conditioned to happy endings since we were children. Sad endings throw us off because it is not what we are conditioned to. I was sad that the ending was mediocre at best, because it was building up for so long.
I'd rather experience an emotion at the end of a novel compared to the 'meh' reaction I had to Zhang's ending. To me, the ending is everything. This may not make sense if you have not read the book (sorry!) but in other words I feel as though a sad dramatic ending is what turns books into movies or TV shows; like Jay Asher's 'Thirteen Reasons Why'.
That being said, Asher's novel was published in 2007, earlier than Zhang's novel, and I am mentioning it as they both explore similar themes. This may be to many people's surprise, but I have not watched the Netflix version of 'Thirteen Reasons Why', and I admit it has been a long time since I read his book. But the ending he threw at us was unexpected and controversial to some. That is what makes books famous.
I feel as though the topic of mental health can be a hit or miss when translated into texts; but Zhang's novel is an in between. As a teenager with a history of depression, I find that the mental health issue is really misrepresented at times. That being said, everyone experiences depression differently. Depression is quite a complicated thing to describe at times, I can be fine for months until I suddenly crash and lose all my energy; part of the reason why I am trying to adopt a minimalist lifestyle.
I feel like to some readers, like my friend and sister who have read it, the novel is enjoyable. But it is a short lived enjoyment. If I were to ask my sister what happened in the novel now, she would most likely forget. For me however, I found it to be trying a bit too hard. My major concern about the novel, and one of the main reasons I dislike the novel is because it is subtly promoting the idea of suicide. This can also be applied to Jay Asher's novel however, I found that Asher's ending is more suitable because it is warning readers against the consequences of bullying. Zhang's novel on the other hand felt like it was romanticising suicide, and Liz's true desires to gain attention from people who already loved her. Yes I know, it is part of the message. But at times I feel quite offended, and I feel that others can relate.
I would also check out this review because it is exactly what I thought of the novel.
And I know that Zhang is trying to tell people that suicide is bad. I may spoil it here so don't read any further, but I feel that it sends the wrong message. Because the protagonist Liz Emerson did not die, and because she had also managed for not only her family, but one of her admirer's to worry about her, it is all a selfish act that is romanticized for potentially young readers to get ideas. I feel as though because she is a young writer, because she is an influencer, she is sending the wrong message. And I know that it is not Zhang's purpose to promote suicide, but if placed in the wrong hands it can potentially give naive readers the wrong idea. The thing I do not like about this novel is that the protagonist did not suffer any consequences to her actions. Instead, she is blessed with living again. A good thought to have is that our problems are so central and first-world that we are blessed to have a life. She is lucky enough to own a car. To receive an education. To have nothing standing in the way of her life except a bad attitude. Yes, she may have a mental issue. But so do many people. It doesn't mean that we're going to crash our Mercedes Benz's (or freaking Toyota Camry's) over a cliff.
And I feel as though Liz was a very hard person to sympathise with. Never did it ever state that she had problems with her parents (quite the opposite actually), never did it say that she was sick or dying, so there was frankly nothing in her life causing her problems except for a mild dose of bullying. And I think everyone can agree when I say that almost everyone has been bullied. And although at times it can get very out of hand, it is not the end of the world if you speak up. It is so important to let others know. And as far as I know, a lot of people are good people. It is not longer cool to be a bully. And if you're living in an environment where it is cool, then I would suggest moving out! It is so important to let people know that you're being bullied. Tell your parents, your teachers, your friends, your councillor, your psychologist. Suicide as a result of bullying is a very sad thing, but it is also so easy to prevent.
Despite my criticism, I give credit to Zhang for being able to publish something successfully at such a young age. Judging her writing, it is very poetic and well written. Judging it for the story, it is bleak and a waste of time. There are so many other great books out there on the same topic, and I think this is a prime example of it being overdone.
Thanks for reading!
-Amanda.S
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