Still Life with Tornado by A.S. King
My Rating: ★★★★
I absolutely loved reading this book. It's definitely not what it seems at first. Sarah appears to be having some kind of mental break that stemmed from growing up with an abusive father. As the book continues, it turns out that she's having an existential crisis stemming from a variety of things including her home life. Rather than just being her story, we get the occasional point of view of her mother, the wife of a physically and verbally abusive man. In the midst of it all, Sarah is trying to get to the bottom of what she doesn't remember, why she doesn't remember these things, and why she keeps seeing herself in the past and future.
A.S. King had me glued to the pages from beginning to end. I was captivated by the story, which is absolutely heartbreaking. King touches on a very tough subject, but chose to tell this story in a unique way that draws you in as you continue to read. I also think that it is interesting that King chose to have Sarah aware but also unaware of her home situation, so that all of the puzzle pieces fit together when she gets the full picture later on. I think that this is relatable, especially for anyone who has been through something that they knew was bad, but couldn't put their finger on why or what exactly was going on for various reasons.
