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A review by librarymouse
Loving, Ohio by Matthew Erman
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This was a really well done, trippy Midwestern gothic centering on teens raised in and around a neo cult whose rhetoric may or may not be true, but whose methodology leaves blood and grief in its wake. For a quite short book, it took me a while to read, flipping back and forth between pages and seeking detail in the illustrations. This is a great exploration of the impact of high demand religion on families and the unique strangeness of the Midwest.
my only critique is what happened to her dog, who protected her, and to her cat? What happened when she left. She couldn't take them with her on the bus, but it didn't look like they were in the house after she left. Did she leave them behind? I hope she left them with Ana.
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Transphobia