The book I read for this assignment is titled Mosquitoland by David Arnold. It is a realistic fiction novel, containing themes of courage, coming of age, mental health, and more. The book focuses on the story of a 16-year-old girl who embarks on a journey across the midwest to visit her sick mother, and finds her identity in the people and experiences she encounters along the way.
This book was simply amazing. I enjoyed the author’s writing style immensely, and how he portrayed the emotions of every character in the novel. Reading this book only solidified my opinion that books are superior to movies, because the author’s descriptions of a character and their life resonate deeper than an image ever could. Also, this book has many memorable quotes that pop into my head at random times, and make me smile or laugh, or relive whatever emotion I felt while reading it for the first time. That’s a sign of a good book; one that affects you even when you’re not reading it.
The author did a good job with describing and explaining mental health throughout the story. Multiple characters are affected by their mental illnesses, such as the main character, Mim, who is diagnosed with psychosis. As someone who does not know a lot about types of mental illnesses, the author portrayed them in a way that made them easy to grasp.
This is a book that will stick with me forever. It was as magical as a realistic book could be, and heart wrenching and wholesome at the same time. The author’s descriptions of Mim’s memories and experiences as she travels are filled to the brim with so much detail, one would believe the author experienced it himself. For any future readers, keep in mind that the book does cover sensitive topics such as suicide, depression, and sexual assault.
All in all, Mosquitoland was beautiful and I would highly recommend it.
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