Also, just a side note, there's going to be quite a lot of book reviews coming from me in the next few weeks, I am on Easter break so in between dissertation and essay writing I am going to be catching up on reviewing all of the great books I have been sent the last few months from lovely publishers :)I was very kindly sent The Unpredictability of Being Human by Usborne in exchange for an honest review :)
The Unpredictability of Being Human is a gorgeous YA novel set in Norway, following the lives of Malin and the people who surround her. Some confuse her a little more than others. Her Dad always loses his temper, her Mum seemingly can't cope without her wine, and her brother Sigve is always getting into trouble. Malin is growing up and, if that isn't hard enough, secrets and lies surround her and at times it's hard to keep herself from drowning under them.
Intrigued? Check out the blurb here...
Meet Malin, a fifteen-year-old who sees the world differently. Malin knows she couldn’t change much about her life, even if she got to play God. Her dad would still yell all the time – especially as Malin is still friends with Hanna, the girl she met shoplifting. Her mum would still say a glass of wine is good for her heart – and Mum needs it, with Malin’s brother, Sigve, getting into trouble all the time. And Malin would still be Malin. Because she can’t be anybody else.
In a voice bursting with immediacy and truth, Malin shares the absurdities of growing up and fitting in as her family struggles with the buried pain of mistakes made and secrets kept.
Profound, compassionate and as funny as it is dark, Malin’s story is an offbeat examination and celebration of the brutal, bizarre and beautiful unpredictability of being human.
If you love the freshness and honesty of The Perks of Being a Wallflower, the emotional depth of John Green, and the irreverent wit of Little Miss Sunshine, push this to the top of your TBR pile.
I absolutely adored this book, it was everything that I love about YA all contained in one beautiful little book. I demolished it in one sitting; I couldn't get enough of the story, or Malin's voice. For me, Malin was a protagonist who I could really relate to, and I loved her narrative of the story. She reminded me a lot of Scout Finch and I thought in general her narration was dealt with so well - her innocence and naivety shone through, but the reader was allowed to see what bits Malin wasn't quite understanding. Overall Malin was a gorgeous, gorgeous character and her narration was what gripped me right from the beginning of the book.
This novel explores with some serious issues such as alcoholism, teenage pregnancy, mental health and difficult family relationships. However, all of these were really well dealt with and I think they are portrayed very realistically. This book definitely has the potential to support and comfort a young person who might be going through these things. I think this book has some good things to say about positive relationships with people, which is especially made more prominent by the fact that Malin (from author interviews and other blurbs of the book) has undiagnosed ASD (autism spectrum disorder) and therefore the reader gets a different and very fresh insight into friendships and other positive relationships. In particular, I loved Malin's relationship with her newfound friend Hanna.
Altogether, I absolutely loved this book, from the beautiful writing to the realistic and carefully crafted characters, to the serious issues that are dealt with in a fantastic way. These are pretty much what makes a YA novel really special for me, so this book was pretty much perfect for me!
Stay tuned for loads more book reviews coming soon <3
Buy The Unpredictability of Being Human here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Unpredictability-Being-Human-Linni-Ingemundsen/dp/1474940633
Check out Linni Ingemundsen here: https://twitter.com/lingemundsen?lang=en
Until next time :)
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