When God Was a Rabbit - Great Book, Great Title
Sarah Winman says herself in the Author's Notes that her novel explores various relationships, the most prominent - in my opinion - is that between a brother and a sister; 'a story of how secrets are forged in childhood and carried through to adulthood'. It's not often that a novel inspires me to write fiction myself, but this one did just that.
For me, it was a slow burner. But some of the best novels are. The characters were invested in and authentic, and the way Winman adapted her writing to reflect the varying age of the protagonist is impressive. The novel matures with the characters and it's hard not to become engrossed with Elly's thoughts. Mostly this is a story about family, spattered with interesting events that shape their journey which we hungrily follow from start to finish. Personally, I enjoyed being surprised. I like it when a book can surprise me with something suitably shocking. I say 'suitably' because it's done for a reason here and not just for dramatic effect.
SPOILER ALERT. There was one part that I was initially disappointed with. I even stopped reading it for a while. When I realised 9/11 was one of these 'events' I referred to earlier, I thought it was too easy a shock tactic; too easy a way to inspire sentiment. But again, Winman shocked me in a delightful way. Joe didn't die. He wasn't even in the Tower. He'd hit his head the night before, been taken to ICU and missed the whole thing. When he wakes up, we realise he has lost his memory and this inspires a (somewhat rushed) journey to re-building an identity that sees us to the end of the novel. I liked this a lot, even if it does seem to make the impossible possible. This - along with the talking rabbit in the first half of the book - is a way of incorporating a sense of 'magic and make-believe' that we all seek when turning to fiction for comfort.
When God Was a Rabbit is also a great title for a book.
Alice x
For me, it was a slow burner. But some of the best novels are. The characters were invested in and authentic, and the way Winman adapted her writing to reflect the varying age of the protagonist is impressive. The novel matures with the characters and it's hard not to become engrossed with Elly's thoughts. Mostly this is a story about family, spattered with interesting events that shape their journey which we hungrily follow from start to finish. Personally, I enjoyed being surprised. I like it when a book can surprise me with something suitably shocking. I say 'suitably' because it's done for a reason here and not just for dramatic effect.
SPOILER ALERT. There was one part that I was initially disappointed with. I even stopped reading it for a while. When I realised 9/11 was one of these 'events' I referred to earlier, I thought it was too easy a shock tactic; too easy a way to inspire sentiment. But again, Winman shocked me in a delightful way. Joe didn't die. He wasn't even in the Tower. He'd hit his head the night before, been taken to ICU and missed the whole thing. When he wakes up, we realise he has lost his memory and this inspires a (somewhat rushed) journey to re-building an identity that sees us to the end of the novel. I liked this a lot, even if it does seem to make the impossible possible. This - along with the talking rabbit in the first half of the book - is a way of incorporating a sense of 'magic and make-believe' that we all seek when turning to fiction for comfort.
When God Was a Rabbit is also a great title for a book.
Alice x
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