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REVIEW: There's Nothing Wrong With her by Kate Weinberg



Blurb: 

Vita Woods is on the brink. She has a good job and a successful doctor boyfriend, Max, with whom the sex is great and the chat sufficient; a vivacious and charming sister Gracie, her verbal sparring partner and best friend for life; and she’s even got a goldfish called Whitney Houston, who brightens her days by showing her she's not the only one going round in circles.

Because it’s the days that are Vita’s problem. Vita is not leaving the house. In fact, Vita rarely exits the basement apartment where she lives, since Vita is in “The Pit” – a place of deep exhaustion and semi-consciousness where she spends much of her time, dead to the world and to herself. She has been sick for months, with an illness that no doctor, not even Max, can medically diagnose.

One day an unexpected courier delivery forces Vita upstairs, into the light - and into a chance encounter with her neighbours upstairs. Suddenly, Vita finds herself faced with an even trickier dilemma. She likes her new friends; she’ll even sneak upstairs to see them while Max is out, against all medical advice but something about her “condition” is nagging at the borders of her mind. After all, what is a house-bound girl to do when she can’t keep the light, her new friendships, or - worst of all - her memories out? The problem might be Vita herself but as far as anyone can prove... there’s nothing wrong with her.

Review:

Like Vita, one day I woke up unwell and just never got better. And the sentiment I can't deal with hearing anymore? Your test is fine, there's nothing wrong with you. So this book was definitely something special to me. 

Vita was a beautiful narrator - friendly, honest, with a warm but witty tone full of trailing internal monologues and thoughts. She captures the desperation and despair of being trapped in a body full of pain but never having the validation or understanding, let alone the help to survive, and the rage-fuelled grieving for the life you couldn't had.

It moves slowly, hazily, almost dream-like - morphing from one scene to another like drifting in and out of consciousness, weaving tenses together in a mildly disorienting but deeply affecting style. It mixes reality with scenes of either madness or magic, apparitions of a helpful friend to keep Vita company in the Pit. A hallucination, a ghost or a powerful metaphor? Keep reading.

This isn't the kind of book for you if you like a clear-cut, linear narrative with a story perfectly finished. You won't get all the answers, and while this style might've driven me bonkers but the blurriness just added to the powerful message of this book. If you've ever loved a person with a chronic illness, or you're just a person with compassion, you should read this book.


⭐⭐⭐⭐


  • I received a reviewers copy of this title.
  • Contains content that may be upsetting including assault, illness, disability and trauma. 


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