Jenny Downham's Unbecoming
Downham's latest (after Before I Die, among others) centers on three generations of women in a complicated family in England, and what happens when teenage Katie's estranged grandmother is diagnosed with dementia and comes to live with Katie's family. And I mean, Katie has a lot going on--she has recently kissed her best friend, and while she's trying to figure out if she's gay, she's being ostracized at school, plus her newly-divorced mother is majorly stressed out, and her brother has an undiagnosed disorder. It's mainly the story of Katie and her grandmother, their burgeoning relationship, and how Katie is helping record her grandmother's memories--which in turn reveals the life of Katie's mother. It's all pretty beautifully written and moving, and if the end is a little bit too neat, well, these characters deserve it. A/A-.
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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released in February.
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