The Butterfly Lampshade combines beautiful writing, a woman's relationship with her mother who is institutionalized with mental illness, as well as with the aunt who raises her, and the magical realism that I enjoyed in Bender's previous novel, The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake.

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

I really loved The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake, and I wanted to love this one too. However, I don’t think I was smart enough to read this because I didn’t “get” it. I felt like there was supposed to be a deep meaning/metaphor that I just didn’t pick up on. I enjoyed the writing, and the idea of drawings of living things becoming real was intriguing. But it just didn’t do it for me. I am still giving it 3 stars because the writing was excellent and the plot kept me reading.

I wish Aimee Bender would write a novel more than once every decade, but The Butterfly Lampshade will go a long way toward filling the void until she puts out another. Like her previous work, this book is heartbreaking and strange and deeply empathetic. The story of a young girl whose mother is institutionalized for mental illness, this book takes the theme of memory as a physical object, exploring what remains when everything seems lost. An absorbing read that will stay with me for a very long time.

I thought I'd enjoy this book. Mental health, introspection, odd main character - these are all ingredients for a book I generally enjoy/ appreciate. However, I found this book incredibly incredibly incredibly boring. I struggled to keep picking it up again. To make it to the end of the chapter was a huge feat. Between the writing style of massive blocked pages of text, zero dialogue breaks, and incessant recapping of super mundane daily activities or thoughts, I really didn't see the point. There are way better titles exploring mental illness out there, and this felt like a waste of time.

I vastly prefer her as a story writer, but that is so selfish, I know. Reading this novel with an open mind: the strengths were the flaws. I thought it was too long, with circuitous explanation of the same thing several times. BUT-- that served to underscore the workings of Francie's mind, so it was deliberate and I am just impatient. I didn't appreciate the story until about 2/3 of the way through, realizing that Francie's quirks and behaviors are clear survival skills, self-taught because of her mother's mental illness. She was a marvelously self-sufficient child, even with a strong network of support to lean on. As a teenager and adult, the methods she chose to review her own mind and functionality seemed outlandish... but would I do any different or any better? Probably not. That perspective softened my view a bit. Truthfully, I very much enjoyed this novel, probably even more than I liked Yellow Cake, and I can't wait for more people to read so I can chat with them about it.

Poignant and heartbreaking, THE BUTTERFLY LAMPSHADE is a lyrical exploration of mental illness and the thousand repercussions it has on both the ill and the healthy. Aimee Bender peoples her fiercely original story with characters so richly crafted you'll share their experience as if it were your own

Once I started this book, I couldn't put it down - I read it in one day. I loved the detail and honesty with which Aimee Bender writes her children characters. I believe that children's inner lives and memories are rich and detailed, and Aimee honors that with her characters. Her sentences are intricate and almost lyrical, and her treatment of people with mental health struggles are both generous and unflinching. The relationships between mothers and daughters, between sisters, between one's adult self and their child self, are portrayed so beautifully, I think they will live with me for a long time. Thanks to the publisher for a NetGalley; all opinions are my own.

I confess I requested this arc solely based on how much I loved The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by the author. I struggled to connect with Francie. I don’t do well with characters that feel aloof or detached. I think this will resonate with many of her fans. I was just hoping for more and a story that would stick with me the way TPSOLC did.

This title was not for me. Perhaps I needed to have a more analytical perspective with the amount of mental illness and symbolism in this book but I just couldn’t. The main character worked through her problems and troubled past but I felt more confused in the end. I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Exciting to see another novel from Aimee Bender so long after Lemon Cake. I thoroughly enjoyed this bittersweet, aching story about a young girl grappling with both her mother's mental illness and her fear of inheriting it. Unfortunately, the ending left me slightly unsatisfied; I felt that perhaps I didn't quite get it, or maybe missed something along the way.