All the Ugly and Wonderful Things

Wow. Where do I even start? This book takes subject matter that on the surface is so vile, and presents it in such a way that it becomes more nuanced and complex than you could ever imagine.

Eight-year-old Wavy Quinn lives in the rural Midwest with her abusive meth addicted parents and little hope for escape from her awful life. One day she meets Kellen, a tattooed ex-con who works for her father, and so begins a relationship between the two of them that’s as complex and tender as it is shocking and disturbing.

The book follows Wavy and Kellen from the time she’s 8 years old through young adulthood, switching perspectives between the two of them and the people who surround them. This is one instance where the multiple-narrative approach is key, as it provides a full picture of everything that’s happening from different perspectives. This allows us to better understand why and how these two lonely, damaged misfits could form such a complicated connection, and positions their perceptions of it against those of the outside world.

It’s at times graphic and disturbing, as you can imagine, and Greenwood approaches it stylistically with a raw, gritty realism that befits the nature of the story.

It’s certainly not for everyone, as many will be immediately repulsed by the description. But if you’re up to the task of immersing yourself in this unflinching world and considering the grey areas of untouchable taboos, there’s a lot to unpack and a lot to admire in this heartbreaking, beautiful gut punch of a novel.

This book is a study in perspectives, the shades of grey, the lenses through which we see the same world differently. How something that can be so right to one, can feel so utterly wrong to another, and they can both be morally justified in feeling so. The shifting first person perspectives worked well in this setting, giving the reader alternative versions of the story and varying views of the main characters, both external and internal. This book was remarkably well written in this sense, the author able to shift voices with such ease, all valid, ringing so true. I could feel anything from elation to mild repulsion but i could not stop reading.
The tone is so gritty and romantic at the same time. Wavy and Kellen's love is like an early spring flower, tender and vulnerable in the barren wintry adverse landscape of hostility, or like a colorful bouquet in the midst of a black and white photo. I was intrigued by the meth lab and the Hells Angels angle, i wish there was more detail on this, but the long ranging effects of this upbringing on the characters lives was very well done. Not a perfect book - Wavys transformation towards confidence feels a bit miraculous (though her determination felt real and her coming into her own necessary), the ending was a bit sugary sweet, all lose ends tying together in such a satisfying manner (thank god, after all that suffering), and one must keep an open mind to enjoy it and not mind a certain sexual openness, and a flexibility to change where the morality line is drawn a bit. It's well worth dedicating nine hours of your life to, and would make for a stimulating open-minded book club discussion.
I got the book for free on netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! I haven't loved a book this much in a long time. This was such a different twist on a story of an abused young daughter of meth dealers, who befriends one of the "thugs" working for her father. Besides her little brother, he is the only person who cares about her and loves her . . . but a friendship between an older man and young girl of course becomes problematic. This is part love story, part coming of age story, and very much its own unique story. I enjoyed every word!

All the Ugly and Wonderful Things is one of those books that have you questioning what you know and feel are normal, proper, true, fair and innocent. It's one of those books that make you see-saw up and down balancing in the middle always losing ground when you need it most, never in control of where it will lead your moral compass. Wavy (I loved the name) is the main character whose life was stinking awful from the beginning. Age 4 her story starts. From 4 years old she becomes this complex character that no one around her gets. Except Kellen a man she meets at 8 years old, a friend of her father, that becomes her fierce protector and provider for her and her baby brother. Here is where the story gets dicey and controversial, but strangely enough not awkward. Their relationship is presented very carefully and delicately by the author. My spidey senses were on high alert with this illicit relationship. Whatever my or societies personal feeling are on Wavy and Kellen's friendship I had to let the story play out. I had too much invested into Wavy to not see her whole story to the end.

Another noticeable reaction I had to this book is the authors use of multiple POV's. It reminded me of witness statements at a crime scene. Everyone telling us what they saw, how they felt about this captivating little girl Wavy. Sometimes some of the best ways to learn about someone is watching the reaction of those around, giving the characters more intricacy and dimensions. I'm giving this 3.75 stars. A charged, taboo story with lots of ugly, unpleasant, gritty issues. A young heroine that makes it palatable because she's such a survivor.