Interesting highly lyrical book which often felt like an extended prose poem rather than a long form piece. I was intrigued by the use of the page as a visual space.

This book was a rollercoaster from beginning to end. Usually I cannot stand poetic, flowery writing, But Felix? Even though she’s a poet and her writing is flowery, I wasn’t annoyed by it at all.
In fact, her unique style is what drew me in and hooked me from the beginning.
I just binge read the book and I have to say it was AMAZING. Heart wrenching, but amazing. Chef’s kiss, and bravo to you, Felix.
Please read this book.

A very smart author and book looking at the long-term effects of trauma as it ripples through family and the individual who experienced that trauma, and an interesting take on learning problems like dyscalculia after trauma. The book is artfully composed, brief and taut. It reads almost like a poem. At times I felt rather lost -- it is a challenging read, and I longed for some more in-depth/narrative content to guide me as a reader.

TW: cutting, child abuse, suicide, suicidal ideation

Camonghne Felix is a FORCE, and the description sells this book short. It's so much more than a story about a breakup told through mathematics. It's ultimately about healing deep childhood trauma and reclaiming your own mind. We've all heard that "the body keeps the score," but Felix tells us that trauma actually changes your brain chemistry. When she's sexually abused at eight by a cousin, the trajectory of not only her life but her selfhood is forever altered. She sees therapist after therapist; she cuts herself, is hospitalized, learns how to work the system, is released. She's given one diagnosis and another; doctors and her mother don't know what to do with her or how to help.

It's not until a correct diagnosis in adulthood and subsequent treatment that her brain starts to clear. She becomes...herself.

Felix sits with her mom one day as she starts to get emotional. "Mom begins to tear up a bit[...]'You're just so...you!'' she writes.

The math parts are interesting, but ultimately what pulled me in was her poetic prose. I had not read Felix before picking up Dyscalculia, but she immediately reminded me of Ocean Vuong. I knew she had to be a poet.

There were two instances in the book (by my count) where Felix duplicates a paragraph from earlier in the book word for word.

"When you're healed you tell the story differently," she writes.