Scan barcode
A review by emilypoche
Colours in Her Hands by Alice Zorn, Alice Zorn
4.0
Thank you to Freehand Books for providing this ARC for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Colours in Her Hands is the story of a woman with Down Syndrome during a transition period of her life. The story follows her, her brother, and other people in her orbit in alternating perspectives.
The real triumph of this book is the character or Mina. She is a fully-fleshed, lively character that doesn’t fall into common media stereotypes about people with intellectual disabilities. The author clearly has spent a lot of time around people with Down Syndrome, and the tenderness and frankness in equal measure is obvious in the way she crafts Mina into really dynamic, layered character. Mina is particular and bound to a logical system that is very much all her own. She loves hats, Elvis, and shoplifting. She has diabetes and appears from her dialogue to be bilingual. She is a talented artist, but keeps her creations tightly guarded in her treasure trove.
It was so refreshing to read a portrayal of someone with Down Syndrome that isn’t a completely innocent, inspirational, angel. Mina is flawed and written without a moment of condescension.
I think that Zorn really does a wonderful job with creating distinct, layered characters. Even the minor characters are given to detail.
One of the other things I loved was the plot that showed how abled people often make choices without asking them, assuming that they know best. Throughout the story, while many of the decisions that are made are for Mina’s safety, many are not. They are small decisions, maybe, but for Mina they take control even further from her. Often they make choices that don’t match what she would choose for herself. This is best reflected in the central plot with Iris, the woman who takes interest in her art. This really reflects the idea, when only one person can make a decision, is it naturally exploitative?
My main criticism with the book is that it can sometimes be a little flabby. The plot can lag at times and there can often be large gaps between more relevant plot points. While the book didn’t exactly make tangents or side stories, it did often take some time to get where it was going.
I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to people who have enjoyed stories that are character driven in the past.
Colours in Her Hands is the story of a woman with Down Syndrome during a transition period of her life. The story follows her, her brother, and other people in her orbit in alternating perspectives.
The real triumph of this book is the character or Mina. She is a fully-fleshed, lively character that doesn’t fall into common media stereotypes about people with intellectual disabilities. The author clearly has spent a lot of time around people with Down Syndrome, and the tenderness and frankness in equal measure is obvious in the way she crafts Mina into really dynamic, layered character. Mina is particular and bound to a logical system that is very much all her own. She loves hats, Elvis, and shoplifting. She has diabetes and appears from her dialogue to be bilingual. She is a talented artist, but keeps her creations tightly guarded in her treasure trove.
It was so refreshing to read a portrayal of someone with Down Syndrome that isn’t a completely innocent, inspirational, angel. Mina is flawed and written without a moment of condescension.
I think that Zorn really does a wonderful job with creating distinct, layered characters. Even the minor characters are given to detail.
One of the other things I loved was the plot that showed how abled people often make choices without asking them, assuming that they know best. Throughout the story, while many of the decisions that are made are for Mina’s safety, many are not. They are small decisions, maybe, but for Mina they take control even further from her. Often they make choices that don’t match what she would choose for herself. This is best reflected in the central plot with Iris, the woman who takes interest in her art. This really reflects the idea, when only one person can make a decision, is it naturally exploitative?
My main criticism with the book is that it can sometimes be a little flabby. The plot can lag at times and there can often be large gaps between more relevant plot points. While the book didn’t exactly make tangents or side stories, it did often take some time to get where it was going.
I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to people who have enjoyed stories that are character driven in the past.