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Words and Their Meanings
Anna O’Mally doesn’t believe in the five stages of grief. Her way of dealing with death equates to daily bouts of coffin yoga and fake-tattooing Patti Smith quotes onto her arms. Once a talented writer, Anna no longer believes words matter, until shocking discoveries– in the form of origami cranes– force her to redefine family and love.
As Anna goes in search of the truth, she discovers that while every story, every human being, has a last line, it might still be possible to find the words for a new beginning.
As Anna goes in search of the truth, she discovers that while every story, every human being, has a last line, it might still be possible to find the words for a new beginning.
360 pages, Unknown Binding
First published September 1, 2014
12 people are currently reading
2863 people want to read
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August 1, 2014
This book had perfect timing.
This book was too overwhelming to read in a day.
This book was too tender to feel all at once.
And yet, it wasn’t bleak, it was fervent.
It’s hard sometimes to be pushed by a book. You don’t want to believe the heat of your own nerves. But this book is unfathomable. I was moved more than any book I’ve read this year and I think this book is categorized YA. However, it’s one of those books that will sit in every section of the bookstore. It actually aches to know that because this book was published by Flux Publishing (quickly becoming one of my new favorite publishers) it may not get a chance at large retail stores. So, before we get into anything, here is the link to preorder this book. Which, you must, you must. I will become fervent, the word of this review.
Okay, I know right now that everyone is obsessed with the okay? okay. of The Fault In Our Stars. However, grief has other angles. Grief isn’t a box, it has too many sides, and can’t be constructed together with engineering, or math. It has several smells, several letters, and there is no google search that will tell you how many words for “sad” that any language has. (If you find one, link to it). Wikipedia hasn’t even tried to tackle the “sad” arena. The best way I can describe the characters of this book is by using the word: saudade. I wrote it on my very first pair of pink converses from 9th grade. It’s a Portuguese word for “melancholic longing for an absent something or someone that one loves. Moreover, it often carries a repressed knowledge that the object of longing may never return” (Wikipedia).
Anna is a girl consumed so much with grief that she practices coffin yoga. The art of making yourself so still that death is close, breathing on your cheek. It means holding your breath, it means stillness, it means the calmness that comes from within the closed coffin. She thinks of the coffin as her secret keeper, where all the thoughts she doesn’t want to think can go and die. Her grief, like everyone’s grief, is not rational. Her family life has fallen apart. Her sister, Bea, tracks her grief by hiding for hours in areas like the oven (Holy shit is right). Which leads to Anna’s references to literature (Hey, Sylvia, I’m lookin’ at you girl).
“The shrinks all want to talk about coffin yoga. They can’t fathom the way some people have no rhyme or reason to their mourning. How maybe there are more ways to grieve than the stupid five steps outlined in their colorful pamphlets. Next time I see my new doc, I’ll probably tell her I’m adding a no-thinking rule into coffin yoga. She’ll ask what it might symbolize. And I’ll glare at her ridiculous red-rimmed glasses and flowing tunic. I’ll speak slow and clear, so she might understand there’s nothing representative about this. My mind just needs the break. Because: That crack in the ceiling looks like a vein” (Words and Their Meanings).
Anna’s grief is real. It will break you as you read. It would be especially hard to be her best friend, Nat, because I can’t imagine trying to build a bridge to reach her. She’s so inside the tunnel of herself that nothing exists outside of that shadow. She’s in the darkness so often, it’s impossible to even reach under into the “coffin” and pull on her arm. While Anna is the main character, the other character’s are just as strong. Nat, the best friend, has her own story of love and loss. Gramps is a maker of machines, a fixer, an upper, (separately and together), and he folds creases into cranes with his grandchildren. Joe is the cause of the grief, he is Anna’s Bruncle. They share roof and cloud philosophy and then they begin to separate. They try to hurt one another in order to save one another. It’s a difficult relationship, and it’s even more difficult for the reader because Joe never has a voice in the novel, he is built by the characters around him that are crumbling. The family is beautiful and broken and the best part is that you never hate one of these characters. They are consumed with otherness and yet, they are still lovely. It just proves, love the broken things; don’t throw the mug away without the handle, don’t laugh at the girl with the scars, hug the people who were built on a foundation of cracks.
“Our relationship still has too many blank spaces, and I’m sick of people I love being defined by stories I haven’t heard first hand” (Words and Their Meanings).
Then, there’s a boy. We all knew that was coming. However, like Frozen, he is not the answer to all of Anna’s problems. And he has his own story. That’s the best part of this novel, each character has a distinct story that is enough to make them. He is swoon-worthy though, as expected. We all would have wanted to meet him in high school.
I loved this book. I was a mountain while I read, it was that good. In the end, I had tears in my eyes because of Anna’s own becoming. She’s a writer, this book is full of art and lies and the dynamics of family that has been torn apart to be put back together. It’s a story of the flower of grief that can clog our throats and trap our humanness in its roots. The plot was so new, and so inviting. It left me.
“I can still taste what it feels like to be sixteen and totally f#$ked up” (Words and Their Meanings).
It just left me. There’s no way it left me, it just left me. I sat there puzzled and immediately wanted to review it. I can’t even explain how good this book is, what an amazing story and what an important story for teenagers and people who once were teenagers (cough, cough). Anna is all of us. She’s me when I cut all my Barbie’s hair at seven and they all forever wore pixie cuts. She’s me when I taped sad Tumblr quotes to my mirror about teenagehood when I was sixteen. She’s me when I stood in a row of bleachers tonight and prayed with over two hundred people for our county quarterback. Grief is a thing. It grows, it forms fists, and it listens while people beg for it to leave. But it’s a silent killer. And I think this book shows how grief can own someone.
Someone once said, “Be Kind; Everyone You Meet is Fighting a Hard Battle,” and this book is the truth of that statement. Every single person in this story has an inner self and an outer self and they’re always at odds. I think we all live that battle a little bit, especially in a social media world where everything is how we present ourselves on the interwebs vs. who we are in real life.
And if we could each get closer to that small spark that makes us who we are in real life then just imagine what kind of things we could conquer. We could be the Beyonce. We could be the cornerstone. We could be the flashlight that alights someone stuck in their wood coffin.
This book is out September 8th from Flux Publishing. It can be preordered now. Be sure to comment your thoughts below or visit the Books & Bowel Movements instagram @bookishcassie to see my 15-second book review.
This book was too overwhelming to read in a day.
This book was too tender to feel all at once.
And yet, it wasn’t bleak, it was fervent.
It’s hard sometimes to be pushed by a book. You don’t want to believe the heat of your own nerves. But this book is unfathomable. I was moved more than any book I’ve read this year and I think this book is categorized YA. However, it’s one of those books that will sit in every section of the bookstore. It actually aches to know that because this book was published by Flux Publishing (quickly becoming one of my new favorite publishers) it may not get a chance at large retail stores. So, before we get into anything, here is the link to preorder this book. Which, you must, you must. I will become fervent, the word of this review.
Okay, I know right now that everyone is obsessed with the okay? okay. of The Fault In Our Stars. However, grief has other angles. Grief isn’t a box, it has too many sides, and can’t be constructed together with engineering, or math. It has several smells, several letters, and there is no google search that will tell you how many words for “sad” that any language has. (If you find one, link to it). Wikipedia hasn’t even tried to tackle the “sad” arena. The best way I can describe the characters of this book is by using the word: saudade. I wrote it on my very first pair of pink converses from 9th grade. It’s a Portuguese word for “melancholic longing for an absent something or someone that one loves. Moreover, it often carries a repressed knowledge that the object of longing may never return” (Wikipedia).
Anna is a girl consumed so much with grief that she practices coffin yoga. The art of making yourself so still that death is close, breathing on your cheek. It means holding your breath, it means stillness, it means the calmness that comes from within the closed coffin. She thinks of the coffin as her secret keeper, where all the thoughts she doesn’t want to think can go and die. Her grief, like everyone’s grief, is not rational. Her family life has fallen apart. Her sister, Bea, tracks her grief by hiding for hours in areas like the oven (Holy shit is right). Which leads to Anna’s references to literature (Hey, Sylvia, I’m lookin’ at you girl).
“The shrinks all want to talk about coffin yoga. They can’t fathom the way some people have no rhyme or reason to their mourning. How maybe there are more ways to grieve than the stupid five steps outlined in their colorful pamphlets. Next time I see my new doc, I’ll probably tell her I’m adding a no-thinking rule into coffin yoga. She’ll ask what it might symbolize. And I’ll glare at her ridiculous red-rimmed glasses and flowing tunic. I’ll speak slow and clear, so she might understand there’s nothing representative about this. My mind just needs the break. Because: That crack in the ceiling looks like a vein” (Words and Their Meanings).
Anna’s grief is real. It will break you as you read. It would be especially hard to be her best friend, Nat, because I can’t imagine trying to build a bridge to reach her. She’s so inside the tunnel of herself that nothing exists outside of that shadow. She’s in the darkness so often, it’s impossible to even reach under into the “coffin” and pull on her arm. While Anna is the main character, the other character’s are just as strong. Nat, the best friend, has her own story of love and loss. Gramps is a maker of machines, a fixer, an upper, (separately and together), and he folds creases into cranes with his grandchildren. Joe is the cause of the grief, he is Anna’s Bruncle. They share roof and cloud philosophy and then they begin to separate. They try to hurt one another in order to save one another. It’s a difficult relationship, and it’s even more difficult for the reader because Joe never has a voice in the novel, he is built by the characters around him that are crumbling. The family is beautiful and broken and the best part is that you never hate one of these characters. They are consumed with otherness and yet, they are still lovely. It just proves, love the broken things; don’t throw the mug away without the handle, don’t laugh at the girl with the scars, hug the people who were built on a foundation of cracks.
“Our relationship still has too many blank spaces, and I’m sick of people I love being defined by stories I haven’t heard first hand” (Words and Their Meanings).
Then, there’s a boy. We all knew that was coming. However, like Frozen, he is not the answer to all of Anna’s problems. And he has his own story. That’s the best part of this novel, each character has a distinct story that is enough to make them. He is swoon-worthy though, as expected. We all would have wanted to meet him in high school.
I loved this book. I was a mountain while I read, it was that good. In the end, I had tears in my eyes because of Anna’s own becoming. She’s a writer, this book is full of art and lies and the dynamics of family that has been torn apart to be put back together. It’s a story of the flower of grief that can clog our throats and trap our humanness in its roots. The plot was so new, and so inviting. It left me.
“I can still taste what it feels like to be sixteen and totally f#$ked up” (Words and Their Meanings).
It just left me. There’s no way it left me, it just left me. I sat there puzzled and immediately wanted to review it. I can’t even explain how good this book is, what an amazing story and what an important story for teenagers and people who once were teenagers (cough, cough). Anna is all of us. She’s me when I cut all my Barbie’s hair at seven and they all forever wore pixie cuts. She’s me when I taped sad Tumblr quotes to my mirror about teenagehood when I was sixteen. She’s me when I stood in a row of bleachers tonight and prayed with over two hundred people for our county quarterback. Grief is a thing. It grows, it forms fists, and it listens while people beg for it to leave. But it’s a silent killer. And I think this book shows how grief can own someone.
Someone once said, “Be Kind; Everyone You Meet is Fighting a Hard Battle,” and this book is the truth of that statement. Every single person in this story has an inner self and an outer self and they’re always at odds. I think we all live that battle a little bit, especially in a social media world where everything is how we present ourselves on the interwebs vs. who we are in real life.
And if we could each get closer to that small spark that makes us who we are in real life then just imagine what kind of things we could conquer. We could be the Beyonce. We could be the cornerstone. We could be the flashlight that alights someone stuck in their wood coffin.
This book is out September 8th from Flux Publishing. It can be preordered now. Be sure to comment your thoughts below or visit the Books & Bowel Movements instagram @bookishcassie to see my 15-second book review.
April 15, 2022
Someone asked me recently how it is that the majority of the reviews I write are so positive. Are all the books I read really that good? The answer is that I don’t read randomly. (Well, almost never.) I spent thirty-five years on the staff of one of the largest public library systems in the U.S., and I learned the value -- the necessity, in fact -- of pre-sorting the books I come across and identifying those I’m most likely to enjoy and appreciate. I read tons of reviews, in other words. And sometimes I disagree strongly with the rave reviews a book receives and I will explain exactly why I think they’re wrong.
I had never heard of this author, nor of the very small publisher that put out this book, but it got very strong reviews in sources I trust and it and won a number of awards, so I gave it a shot. And . . . wow. Just wow..
The protagonist is seventeen-year-old Anna O’Mally, a natural writer with major gifts, who is about to begin her senior year in high school somewhere near Detroit. Her stories have already been published in literary journals, she’s won numerous competitions and awards, and everyone (including Anna) expects great things of her. And her biggest fan and supporter has always been her Uncle Joe, her father’s youngest brother, who is only three years older than Anna herself. Anna’s grandparents were killed when Joe was still very young and her parents suddenly became surrogate parents to Joe as well, so they’ve always been very close. But a year ago, Joe died suddenly of something flu-like and Anna blamed herself (you’ll find out why), and she hasn’t written anything since. She’s “lost her words.” Her parents have also split, largely because of the trauma of losing Joe, so Anna’s world has pretty much fallen apart. Now she’s spending the summer working as a waitress with her best girlfriend, Nat. And she has promised her mother and her therapist that Joe’s one-year “deadaversary” will mark the official end of her period of mourning (or else she’s likely to be packed off to a Christian grief boot camp in Hell, Michigan).
But, of course, Anna can’t stop thinking about Joe, and how she’s responsible. “I was sixteen, and now I’m seventeen. He was nineteen, and he’ll never be twenty.” But one thing has changed: Anna has met Mateo, a talented chef her age at the restaurant where she works, and who has his own dreams and ambitions. Mateo gets her, and while he’s certainly interested, he doesn’t push. Maybe that’s just what Anna needs. But then a strange note turns up that suggests Joe had secrets he never shared with her, and Anna has a mystery she has to solve.
The characters here are beautifully constructed and the writing is very strong, as when Anna tells Mateo what she’s sure other people think of her and he calls her on it. “Do you do that a lot? Write other people’s stories for them?” There’s a lot of great stuff here and I recommend it.
I had never heard of this author, nor of the very small publisher that put out this book, but it got very strong reviews in sources I trust and it and won a number of awards, so I gave it a shot. And . . . wow. Just wow..
The protagonist is seventeen-year-old Anna O’Mally, a natural writer with major gifts, who is about to begin her senior year in high school somewhere near Detroit. Her stories have already been published in literary journals, she’s won numerous competitions and awards, and everyone (including Anna) expects great things of her. And her biggest fan and supporter has always been her Uncle Joe, her father’s youngest brother, who is only three years older than Anna herself. Anna’s grandparents were killed when Joe was still very young and her parents suddenly became surrogate parents to Joe as well, so they’ve always been very close. But a year ago, Joe died suddenly of something flu-like and Anna blamed herself (you’ll find out why), and she hasn’t written anything since. She’s “lost her words.” Her parents have also split, largely because of the trauma of losing Joe, so Anna’s world has pretty much fallen apart. Now she’s spending the summer working as a waitress with her best girlfriend, Nat. And she has promised her mother and her therapist that Joe’s one-year “deadaversary” will mark the official end of her period of mourning (or else she’s likely to be packed off to a Christian grief boot camp in Hell, Michigan).
But, of course, Anna can’t stop thinking about Joe, and how she’s responsible. “I was sixteen, and now I’m seventeen. He was nineteen, and he’ll never be twenty.” But one thing has changed: Anna has met Mateo, a talented chef her age at the restaurant where she works, and who has his own dreams and ambitions. Mateo gets her, and while he’s certainly interested, he doesn’t push. Maybe that’s just what Anna needs. But then a strange note turns up that suggests Joe had secrets he never shared with her, and Anna has a mystery she has to solve.
The characters here are beautifully constructed and the writing is very strong, as when Anna tells Mateo what she’s sure other people think of her and he calls her on it. “Do you do that a lot? Write other people’s stories for them?” There’s a lot of great stuff here and I recommend it.
April 9, 2014
Wow! I don't know what else to say except wow! This book was incredible! Amazing characters with depth. Grief and love beyond measure. This story moves so fast and moves the reader so strongly that it is hard to put down. You will love Anna and her story. You will grieve for her, cheer for her and miss her when this wonderful book ends. Read this book!
July 19, 2020
My thanks to NetGalley and Flux for an eARC copy of this book to read and review,
Ok, this was a hard DNF for me at 19%, because I didn't like how practically everyone in the book was telling the MC how to grieve and for how long. I believe that yes, therapy is incredibly useful and should be used with grief, BUT unless the grieving is harmful, the person should be allowed to grieve however works for them.
Ok, let's say you have two daughters. The older one is a teen who was very close to her uncle who was raised as her brother. He dies. She goes Goth, cuts her hair unevenly herself, uses washable marker to write Patti Smith quotes on her body, stops writing which she shared with her uncle and now does "coffin yoga", pretending she is in a coffin for 19 minutes a day.
Your younger daughter, a pre-teen, now hides, to the point where you 1) can't find her for HOURS and she hides IN THE OVEN AND IN THE WASHING MACHINE!!! She hid in the washing machine so well, YOU RAN IT WITH HER IN IT BEFORE REALIZING SHE WAS IN IT.
Who would you worry over more?
OBVIOUSLY the teen who has an attitude and writes on her body in non-permanent ink. (face palm).
The teen who when she meets the HAWT guy, starts to think maybe she should can the attitude and join life again.
Oh, and not only did the uncle die, but her dad had an affair with an office temp and got them pregnant, so now her parents are getting a divorce too. And she's not allowed to show grief after the one year anniversary of her uncle's death, or they ship her to a boarding school that deals with kids who act out.
(FACE PALM)
I can't continue with this book, I personally don't connect with it. I can see it possibly being helpful to younger people who are dealing with loss and grief, but it just isn't resonating with me. There is supposed to be a Big Reveal at the end of the book, but there isn't enough to encourage me to continue to get to it.
2, I was expecting more, stars.
Ok, this was a hard DNF for me at 19%, because I didn't like how practically everyone in the book was telling the MC how to grieve and for how long. I believe that yes, therapy is incredibly useful and should be used with grief, BUT unless the grieving is harmful, the person should be allowed to grieve however works for them.
Ok, let's say you have two daughters. The older one is a teen who was very close to her uncle who was raised as her brother. He dies. She goes Goth, cuts her hair unevenly herself, uses washable marker to write Patti Smith quotes on her body, stops writing which she shared with her uncle and now does "coffin yoga", pretending she is in a coffin for 19 minutes a day.
Your younger daughter, a pre-teen, now hides, to the point where you 1) can't find her for HOURS and she hides IN THE OVEN AND IN THE WASHING MACHINE!!! She hid in the washing machine so well, YOU RAN IT WITH HER IN IT BEFORE REALIZING SHE WAS IN IT.
Who would you worry over more?
OBVIOUSLY the teen who has an attitude and writes on her body in non-permanent ink. (face palm).
The teen who when she meets the HAWT guy, starts to think maybe she should can the attitude and join life again.
Oh, and not only did the uncle die, but her dad had an affair with an office temp and got them pregnant, so now her parents are getting a divorce too. And she's not allowed to show grief after the one year anniversary of her uncle's death, or they ship her to a boarding school that deals with kids who act out.
(FACE PALM)
I can't continue with this book, I personally don't connect with it. I can see it possibly being helpful to younger people who are dealing with loss and grief, but it just isn't resonating with me. There is supposed to be a Big Reveal at the end of the book, but there isn't enough to encourage me to continue to get to it.
2, I was expecting more, stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 18, 2020
13+ Underage drinking, some language.
Content Warning: deals with death of close family member
Contemporary Fiction.
It’s coming up on the one year anniversary of her uncle’s death, and Anna still hasn’t worked through her grief in a healthy way. Joe was more than an uncle to her. He was practically her brother, and he was one of the most enthusiastic supporters of her writing. His death takes away so many things from Anna, but it also helps her recognize some truths about life and herself.
This is my kind of book. I sometimes have a hard time selling these types of books in the library because they can get emotional and hit close to home. They’re just so real and raw, though; that’s something I love about realistic YA. I think there’s definitely a place for other, more speculative literature. This is my sweet spot, though. Due to my past experience with Flux publishing, I had some high expectations. Though I probably won’t stick this one on my favorites list, it didn’t let me down in the least.
Books about grief seem to be a hot thing right now. I don’t mean to say that author’s are commodifying those kinds of stories, because most of what I’ve read in the way of books about grief have been genuine and beautifully written. I think instead these are books that are speaking to people, and so they’re selling well. For me, it’s the heart and pain in the pages. It’s what they say about life and how we deal with these things. Realistic fiction allows readers an opportunity to bring their own experiences into what they’re reading. It allows us to get personal and dig into those feelings we sometimes bury to get through our day-to-day life. Words and Their Meanings does this really well. At least, it did for me. I’ll admit I bring some personal experiences to the table that might make me read it differently than someone who hasn’t experienced the death of someone close to them. It made me think about my own grief (because I don’t think grief ever truly ends). It made me reflect on the immediate effects of the losses I’ve suffered in the past few years. Any book that can bring that sort of reflection and thoughtfulness our of me is and excellent book. Period.
All that said, Anna really wasn’t that relatable to me. I liked her, and I got a good sense of what she was going through and how she was dealing with (or not dealing with) her own grief. There were moments in the book that led me to do some inner reflection, and Anna says a few things that made me think. I never felt kindred with her over grief, though. I’m not saying this is a bad thing, at all. It was kind of refreshing to have a more detached investment in a character going through grief. I haven’t been able to do that in over two years. I liked feeling proud of her when she realized some of the things I’ve already discovered for myself. It’s a character-driven novel centered on Anna, so the supporting characters aren’t as developed as she is. Still, they’re fantastically well-rounded.
The final icing on my book love cake was the fact that there romance, but there’s not ROMANCE. Anna meets a boy who has an influence on her life. He definitely affects some of her decisions, but he’s not her savior. He doesn’t teach her any lessons or bring her out of her own grief. Anna does all that for herself. That’s exactly as it should be.
This is a difficult novel to review because it leaves so many emotions attached. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly why it’s so good. It just… is. I highly recommend it, especially if you liked The Fault in Our Stars or The Sky is Everywhere.
Content Warning: deals with death of close family member
Contemporary Fiction.
It’s coming up on the one year anniversary of her uncle’s death, and Anna still hasn’t worked through her grief in a healthy way. Joe was more than an uncle to her. He was practically her brother, and he was one of the most enthusiastic supporters of her writing. His death takes away so many things from Anna, but it also helps her recognize some truths about life and herself.
This is my kind of book. I sometimes have a hard time selling these types of books in the library because they can get emotional and hit close to home. They’re just so real and raw, though; that’s something I love about realistic YA. I think there’s definitely a place for other, more speculative literature. This is my sweet spot, though. Due to my past experience with Flux publishing, I had some high expectations. Though I probably won’t stick this one on my favorites list, it didn’t let me down in the least.
Books about grief seem to be a hot thing right now. I don’t mean to say that author’s are commodifying those kinds of stories, because most of what I’ve read in the way of books about grief have been genuine and beautifully written. I think instead these are books that are speaking to people, and so they’re selling well. For me, it’s the heart and pain in the pages. It’s what they say about life and how we deal with these things. Realistic fiction allows readers an opportunity to bring their own experiences into what they’re reading. It allows us to get personal and dig into those feelings we sometimes bury to get through our day-to-day life. Words and Their Meanings does this really well. At least, it did for me. I’ll admit I bring some personal experiences to the table that might make me read it differently than someone who hasn’t experienced the death of someone close to them. It made me think about my own grief (because I don’t think grief ever truly ends). It made me reflect on the immediate effects of the losses I’ve suffered in the past few years. Any book that can bring that sort of reflection and thoughtfulness our of me is and excellent book. Period.
All that said, Anna really wasn’t that relatable to me. I liked her, and I got a good sense of what she was going through and how she was dealing with (or not dealing with) her own grief. There were moments in the book that led me to do some inner reflection, and Anna says a few things that made me think. I never felt kindred with her over grief, though. I’m not saying this is a bad thing, at all. It was kind of refreshing to have a more detached investment in a character going through grief. I haven’t been able to do that in over two years. I liked feeling proud of her when she realized some of the things I’ve already discovered for myself. It’s a character-driven novel centered on Anna, so the supporting characters aren’t as developed as she is. Still, they’re fantastically well-rounded.
The final icing on my book love cake was the fact that there romance, but there’s not ROMANCE. Anna meets a boy who has an influence on her life. He definitely affects some of her decisions, but he’s not her savior. He doesn’t teach her any lessons or bring her out of her own grief. Anna does all that for herself. That’s exactly as it should be.
This is a difficult novel to review because it leaves so many emotions attached. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly why it’s so good. It just… is. I highly recommend it, especially if you liked The Fault in Our Stars or The Sky is Everywhere.
November 13, 2014
Wow.
365 days ago Annie O'Malley's bruncle (brother/uncle), Joe, died and the guilt from killing him only adds to her grief. She promises her estranged parents, grandfather and therapist that she'll start living again on day 366, although after killing Joe, she believes she doesn't deserve happiness. Annie begins dating a coworker and socializing with her best friend again. Will a second tragedy make her a murder again?
Ten pages into WORDS AND THEIR MEANINGS my stomach flipped in excitement as it does a few times a year, if I'm lucky enough to find a few novels that grab and won't let go. Kate Bassett has penned a near perfect book, something I've never written in the over 400 books I've reviewed. Her rich prose, narrated by Anna, in a unique, yet subtle voice contained more profound sentences than I usually highlight in 50 books. The dialogue felt natural and organic advancing the plot or character's arc forward. Notes and letters add another layer of authenticity. I never imagined the plot twists. The first twist I couldn't have predicted. It seemed out of character and was the only imperfect part of the story. I figured the second twist completely wrong and this surprise added another dimension to the character involved.
Each multidimensional character Bassett created had so many layers they felt more like people I knew rather then characters in a book. Anna was easy to root for, even when she wasn't. At times I wanted to shake her, other times I wanted to wrap my arms around her and let her cry on my shoulder.
If you love character studies, read this book.
If you love gorgeous writing, read this book.
If you love realistic fiction, read this book.
If you've ever lost a loved one, read this book.
If you've ever been depressed, read this book.
There is no one else wouldn't recommend WORDS AND THEIR MEANINGS.
365 days ago Annie O'Malley's bruncle (brother/uncle), Joe, died and the guilt from killing him only adds to her grief. She promises her estranged parents, grandfather and therapist that she'll start living again on day 366, although after killing Joe, she believes she doesn't deserve happiness. Annie begins dating a coworker and socializing with her best friend again. Will a second tragedy make her a murder again?
Ten pages into WORDS AND THEIR MEANINGS my stomach flipped in excitement as it does a few times a year, if I'm lucky enough to find a few novels that grab and won't let go. Kate Bassett has penned a near perfect book, something I've never written in the over 400 books I've reviewed. Her rich prose, narrated by Anna, in a unique, yet subtle voice contained more profound sentences than I usually highlight in 50 books. The dialogue felt natural and organic advancing the plot or character's arc forward. Notes and letters add another layer of authenticity. I never imagined the plot twists. The first twist I couldn't have predicted. It seemed out of character and was the only imperfect part of the story. I figured the second twist completely wrong and this surprise added another dimension to the character involved.
Each multidimensional character Bassett created had so many layers they felt more like people I knew rather then characters in a book. Anna was easy to root for, even when she wasn't. At times I wanted to shake her, other times I wanted to wrap my arms around her and let her cry on my shoulder.
If you love character studies, read this book.
If you love gorgeous writing, read this book.
If you love realistic fiction, read this book.
If you've ever lost a loved one, read this book.
If you've ever been depressed, read this book.
There is no one else wouldn't recommend WORDS AND THEIR MEANINGS.
January 23, 2015
How come this has such less number of ratings and reviews whereas lousy ass books get millions?
More people should know about this book.
The writing, the characters, the plot; so pure, so raw.
And the male protagonist made me swoon. It's been long.
More people should know about this book.
The writing, the characters, the plot; so pure, so raw.
And the male protagonist made me swoon. It's been long.
February 25, 2020
"Because here's a universal truth: You never feel more aware of what it means to be alive than when you're falling in love. Or dying."
"I'm not hung up on anybody's idea of who I should be."
"The very second I laid eyes on her. I knew the world had shifted. Powerful love does this to us. It shifts our gears and makes us understand words like 'sacrifice' and 'presence' and 'hope' in ways you can't yet know."
"I'm not hung up on anybody's idea of who I should be."
"The very second I laid eyes on her. I knew the world had shifted. Powerful love does this to us. It shifts our gears and makes us understand words like 'sacrifice' and 'presence' and 'hope' in ways you can't yet know."
August 31, 2015
Maybe everyone else read a different version of this book than I did...
I guess I can see why others might've liked this. The writing style wasn't too shabby and the narrative coasted along nicely enough. This is definitely an easy book to read, and something about it compels you to finish it. That's about all the good things I can say about it, though.
The main character was borderline-psychotic. She was self-centered, angsty, and woebegone to the point where when she is FINALLY called out for being such, I cheered. Her affectations and habits - the "coffin yoga," "walking with stardust under my feet," etc - were grating to read about. I didn't feel her pain or feel sorry for her - I mostly just wanted to wring her neck.
The unforgivable thing about this book, though, is that the entire time I was reading it all I could think about was that show Degrassi. You know how Degrassi always managed to be as overdramatic as humanly possible? How nary an episode could go by without someone's house burning down BUT WAIT someone else attempts suicide BUT WAIT someone else is pregnant BUT WAIT they got an abortion BUT WAIT it turns out the baby was their best friend's boyfriend's kid? This was like that, in book form. I won't go into specifics, because spoilers, but trust me when I say that this book is a teen soap opera put to text.
I guess I can see why others might've liked this. The writing style wasn't too shabby and the narrative coasted along nicely enough. This is definitely an easy book to read, and something about it compels you to finish it. That's about all the good things I can say about it, though.
The main character was borderline-psychotic. She was self-centered, angsty, and woebegone to the point where when she is FINALLY called out for being such, I cheered. Her affectations and habits - the "coffin yoga," "walking with stardust under my feet," etc - were grating to read about. I didn't feel her pain or feel sorry for her - I mostly just wanted to wring her neck.
The unforgivable thing about this book, though, is that the entire time I was reading it all I could think about was that show Degrassi. You know how Degrassi always managed to be as overdramatic as humanly possible? How nary an episode could go by without someone's house burning down BUT WAIT someone else attempts suicide BUT WAIT someone else is pregnant BUT WAIT they got an abortion BUT WAIT it turns out the baby was their best friend's boyfriend's kid? This was like that, in book form. I won't go into specifics, because spoilers, but trust me when I say that this book is a teen soap opera put to text.
April 9, 2014
ARC provided by NetGalley:
I really enjoyed this first book from Kate Bassett. The story centers on Anna, a teenager who is having trouble getting over the death of her beloved uncle a year earlier. She copes by doing daily "coffin yoga", channeling her inner Patti Smith through her dress and hairstyle, and writing favorite Patti quotes on her arm every day. Her family is concerned, to put it mildly, but they have turmoil of their own to cope with. Little sis Bea likes to hide in random places, mom and dad are divorced and dad has a new wife/baby on the way, and Gramps is suddenly on the verge of death himself. Anna's circle of friends is very small, basically her best friend since early childhood, Nat. Complicating things is the introduction of Mateo, who definitely catches Anna's eye and rocks her world, almost to the point of being normal. This is a difficult book to fully describe other than to say that it's quite an unusual young adult/coming of age book. There's a love story, but that's not the central element. It's more about friendship, family, love gained and lost, and moving on. Five stars for me!
I really enjoyed this first book from Kate Bassett. The story centers on Anna, a teenager who is having trouble getting over the death of her beloved uncle a year earlier. She copes by doing daily "coffin yoga", channeling her inner Patti Smith through her dress and hairstyle, and writing favorite Patti quotes on her arm every day. Her family is concerned, to put it mildly, but they have turmoil of their own to cope with. Little sis Bea likes to hide in random places, mom and dad are divorced and dad has a new wife/baby on the way, and Gramps is suddenly on the verge of death himself. Anna's circle of friends is very small, basically her best friend since early childhood, Nat. Complicating things is the introduction of Mateo, who definitely catches Anna's eye and rocks her world, almost to the point of being normal. This is a difficult book to fully describe other than to say that it's quite an unusual young adult/coming of age book. There's a love story, but that's not the central element. It's more about friendship, family, love gained and lost, and moving on. Five stars for me!
November 22, 2014
Grief and guilt are powerful forces. Powerful enough to transform how you see the world, and, even, how the world sees you. Anna O’ Malley has been transformed by these forces, touched by death and plagued by her belief that it was her doing. Once a talented and promising writer, she now devotes herself to coffin yoga and selecting the perfect Patti Smith quote to inscribe on her skin. It’s Mateo, a boy who sees the real Anna, despite the guilt and grief that consume her, who slowly leads her back to the land of the living. But death isn’t done with Anna yet. When her grandfather’s health begins to fail and she discovers a shocking secret written on an origami swan, she sets out to uncover hard truths about the people she loves. In the process, Anna must learn to accept the past and face the future. Words and Their Meanings is a beautifully told story about family, love, loss, secrets, and, above all, forgiveness and acceptance.
Full review forthcoming.
Full review forthcoming.
January 21, 2015
Wow. Just wow.
This is the kind of book you buy to have on your bookshelf.
It's timeless.
It's sad and thoughtful and so well done.
It has so much to relate to, for everyone.
It's not just about grieving someone you love, it's about loss and betrayal and friendship and relationships and family. All in one fantastically written book.
I'm in love <3
This is the kind of book you buy to have on your bookshelf.
It's timeless.
It's sad and thoughtful and so well done.
It has so much to relate to, for everyone.
It's not just about grieving someone you love, it's about loss and betrayal and friendship and relationships and family. All in one fantastically written book.
I'm in love <3
December 4, 2017
I wasn’t sure about this book at first. The main characters personality annoyed me, and I’m still unsure if I liked her or thought she was annoying.
However, the story grew on me. Everyone grieves in their own way and it was to real at times. I felt for Anna and her little sister Bea the most. I also found a liking to their grandfather, who I wish didn’t end up as a vegetable so soon in the story. The part where Anna decides to pull the plug on him was gut wrenching but I knew exactly why she wanted to do it. No one wants to live like that.
I’m not sure how I feel about the love story portion between Anna and Mateo. I started to like it however when Mateo admitted to first liking Anna because she basically seemed like a bad influence and exactly what he needed.
Also, the random character (Adam I think his name was) who pulls Anna out of the river, can we please get a side story on him? He seemed broken and lost and ugh, I wish there was more than just a few pages of him. He served in Afghanistan and was homeless, not wanting to return home.
I also feel like the “secrets” Joe was hiding weren’t that big of a deal. I also figured he slept with either Laura, his girlfriends best friend, or Nat, Annas best friend. Nat it was. I’m glad the author added into her dialogue how she hasn’t been able to openly grieve for Joe because what they had was a secret and how unfair it’s been.
This book was all to real.
However, the story grew on me. Everyone grieves in their own way and it was to real at times. I felt for Anna and her little sister Bea the most. I also found a liking to their grandfather, who I wish didn’t end up as a vegetable so soon in the story. The part where Anna decides to pull the plug on him was gut wrenching but I knew exactly why she wanted to do it. No one wants to live like that.
I’m not sure how I feel about the love story portion between Anna and Mateo. I started to like it however when Mateo admitted to first liking Anna because she basically seemed like a bad influence and exactly what he needed.
Also, the random character (Adam I think his name was) who pulls Anna out of the river, can we please get a side story on him? He seemed broken and lost and ugh, I wish there was more than just a few pages of him. He served in Afghanistan and was homeless, not wanting to return home.
I also feel like the “secrets” Joe was hiding weren’t that big of a deal. I also figured he slept with either Laura, his girlfriends best friend, or Nat, Annas best friend. Nat it was. I’m glad the author added into her dialogue how she hasn’t been able to openly grieve for Joe because what they had was a secret and how unfair it’s been.
This book was all to real.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 22, 2015
This review can also be found on A Thousand Lives Lived, check it out for more reviews!
Every once in a while us humans are prone to be lurking for something tragic and heartbreaking. I find that it's human nature that we always will be longing for something that's hurtful and upsetting, although we don't want it to happen to us. It's a temptation to want raw and enforcing objectives that will hurt our minds until we're incapable of reading these kinds of books any longer. After hearing about this one and its upsetting message, I knew that I wanted to get kicked into it, another temptation of my life.
Words and Their Meanings lacked a meaning. For me, there was a lack of just about everything, and there was an imbalance of good romance. Books with a romance to help the protagonist heal are too cliché, and we see them so often that our heads begin to shake out of frustration. Here's another example of that typical story.
Five stages of grief? Ms. Bassett, what on earth are you possibly talking about? So this is a book that's probably supposed to show you mourning and the total "typical" act of what to do when in this situation. Anna O'Mally's uncle Joe (who happens to be a few years older than her) has died from something tragic and she's in complete sorrow and grief. It's difficult for her to now communicate with her friends and family, and she feels completely lost. She makes discoveries and falls in love.
I guess that some people are probably able to enjoy this more than I did, for the sake of the origami cranes and the coffin yoga stuff. It seems too absurd for me, and I just don't feel like making any connections or using my time to read this, for the sake of the concept. Maybe, just maybe, if there were some sort of interesting plot twist according to fate or better characters, then this would've made it to a four star rating.
I began off with high expectations. Okay, that's usually how the story goes since I usually trust the reviewers and pick up the books that they recommend. I actually did discover this book a while ago during the summer where I was bored out of my mind and was all caught up with blogging and reviewing and... well that's another story. But I was completely satisfied and anxious to read this book as I had heard that it was like the new Gayle Forman book and we all needed it in our lives. My local library got it in their 'New Arrivals' section and... I couldn't resist! You see, there's another thing about the temptations.
When I began reading, I was thoroughly enjoying the grieving part of it. Don't get me wrong—it did shatter my heart into a million pieces and I did have a lot of sympathy towards the characters... but I just couldn't feel everything. There was no anticipation for any romance, there wasn't any happiness or crying. After I finished reading, I just dropped it into the overwhelming pile of books that I need to review on my desk, and I completely forgot about it. That shows the care that I have for books, huh?
You see, this book doesn't seem real to me. Anna as a protagonist was interesting and completely wicked, though she lacked something raw and sweet. She seemed too whiny and I didn't feel all of the grief inside of her, instead I saw whine.
Cry me a river. I WISH I COULD'VE CRIED A RIVER! Crying in books really does show the majestic-ness that a book could possibly give you and that the author's words are unbelievably gorgeous. I felt like Bassett could've gotten that to happen to me, though we would've needed a ton of good stuff, like a purpose. Yes, the romance between Anna and Mateo was cute, but I can just shrug it away with no problem, if you know what I mean. He was a sweetheart, but it seemed like their attraction wasn't applicable for this sort of novel. *shrugs again* But Bassett's words were gorgeous and pretty, so you can take that as a positive remark.
No crying, no feelings, no purpose. You may be thinking that this is an all-negative rant review, but I have to tell you that I liked it, but not too much. I've read tons of better grief-tragedy books, and this one can't even compare to them. Anna, as a protagonist, was bittersweet, and sympathy was all over the place coming from me, but really, romance? It's like it was added in to make her feel better, not like fate made it come for her because it's what was supposed to happen—you know what I mean? Overall, I've seen better, but I love this genre, so you should go ahead for this treat as well.
Every once in a while us humans are prone to be lurking for something tragic and heartbreaking. I find that it's human nature that we always will be longing for something that's hurtful and upsetting, although we don't want it to happen to us. It's a temptation to want raw and enforcing objectives that will hurt our minds until we're incapable of reading these kinds of books any longer. After hearing about this one and its upsetting message, I knew that I wanted to get kicked into it, another temptation of my life.
Words and Their Meanings lacked a meaning. For me, there was a lack of just about everything, and there was an imbalance of good romance. Books with a romance to help the protagonist heal are too cliché, and we see them so often that our heads begin to shake out of frustration. Here's another example of that typical story.
"Because here's a universal truth: You never feel more aware of what it means to be alive than when you're falling in love. Or dying."
Five stages of grief? Ms. Bassett, what on earth are you possibly talking about? So this is a book that's probably supposed to show you mourning and the total "typical" act of what to do when in this situation. Anna O'Mally's uncle Joe (who happens to be a few years older than her) has died from something tragic and she's in complete sorrow and grief. It's difficult for her to now communicate with her friends and family, and she feels completely lost. She makes discoveries and falls in love.
I guess that some people are probably able to enjoy this more than I did, for the sake of the origami cranes and the coffin yoga stuff. It seems too absurd for me, and I just don't feel like making any connections or using my time to read this, for the sake of the concept. Maybe, just maybe, if there were some sort of interesting plot twist according to fate or better characters, then this would've made it to a four star rating.
I began off with high expectations. Okay, that's usually how the story goes since I usually trust the reviewers and pick up the books that they recommend. I actually did discover this book a while ago during the summer where I was bored out of my mind and was all caught up with blogging and reviewing and... well that's another story. But I was completely satisfied and anxious to read this book as I had heard that it was like the new Gayle Forman book and we all needed it in our lives. My local library got it in their 'New Arrivals' section and... I couldn't resist! You see, there's another thing about the temptations.
When I began reading, I was thoroughly enjoying the grieving part of it. Don't get me wrong—it did shatter my heart into a million pieces and I did have a lot of sympathy towards the characters... but I just couldn't feel everything. There was no anticipation for any romance, there wasn't any happiness or crying. After I finished reading, I just dropped it into the overwhelming pile of books that I need to review on my desk, and I completely forgot about it. That shows the care that I have for books, huh?
"Dead people. Joe is a dead person. Joe is a dead person because of me. 365 days later, those words don't seem real. Time's up."
You see, this book doesn't seem real to me. Anna as a protagonist was interesting and completely wicked, though she lacked something raw and sweet. She seemed too whiny and I didn't feel all of the grief inside of her, instead I saw whine.
Cry me a river. I WISH I COULD'VE CRIED A RIVER! Crying in books really does show the majestic-ness that a book could possibly give you and that the author's words are unbelievably gorgeous. I felt like Bassett could've gotten that to happen to me, though we would've needed a ton of good stuff, like a purpose. Yes, the romance between Anna and Mateo was cute, but I can just shrug it away with no problem, if you know what I mean. He was a sweetheart, but it seemed like their attraction wasn't applicable for this sort of novel. *shrugs again* But Bassett's words were gorgeous and pretty, so you can take that as a positive remark.
No crying, no feelings, no purpose. You may be thinking that this is an all-negative rant review, but I have to tell you that I liked it, but not too much. I've read tons of better grief-tragedy books, and this one can't even compare to them. Anna, as a protagonist, was bittersweet, and sympathy was all over the place coming from me, but really, romance? It's like it was added in to make her feel better, not like fate made it come for her because it's what was supposed to happen—you know what I mean? Overall, I've seen better, but I love this genre, so you should go ahead for this treat as well.
March 14, 2019
This book sucked. Sucked sucked sucked sucked sucked sucked. It didn't even suck, like, air or something normal. No, it sucked death. This is literally a quote:
"I can't hold my breath for the whole nineteen minutes. I made it to three minutes once, but then I passed out. Instead, I have to settle for statue stillness and bulging my eyes wide enough to hurt. Coffin yoga has a lot of rules, but I think that the no-blinking part is most important. Pupils should show during the open casket experience."
Seriously???? It was really weird... :(
Btw, Iz helped with review!
^ she wrote that :)
"I can't hold my breath for the whole nineteen minutes. I made it to three minutes once, but then I passed out. Instead, I have to settle for statue stillness and bulging my eyes wide enough to hurt. Coffin yoga has a lot of rules, but I think that the no-blinking part is most important. Pupils should show during the open casket experience."
Seriously???? It was really weird... :(
Btw, Iz helped with review!
^ she wrote that :)
December 12, 2014
“It's only been a year and some change since Joe. And now, here I am again, waiting, trying to stop hoping. And drowning in what I could have done to save someone I love.”
Words and their Meanings is a tough book to read. It's a kind of story that pleads silently for any comforting gesture but lashes out at the slightest of touch. It has sucker punched me in all my vulnerable places and I have no idea how I've survived it. Reading this book trapped me in an awful, depressing bubble that I don't know how to shake away, even now. I feel like doing my own coffin yoga, practice my own blank stare, and will away my existence, even just for a short while, because feeling all these feels is hurting me.
“You can't let emotions consume you.”
— Ha, book! Are you referring to me?Grief is the weirdest thing. I've seen it time and again. From people I don't know, from acquaintances, and from people who are close to me. Everyone reacts differently. Coping varies from one person to the next. One thing is a constant though, it never fails to make itself known. It might hit you the way a raindrop casually falls from an oncoming downpour or it might felt like being ran over by a bulldozer. In Words and their Meanings, I've suffered both and I am still not sure how and why.
“What I feel is not in the human vocabulary.”Its intensity and rawness is unflinching in its pain. Its words carried a weight that begs to be endured and understood and absorbed. I cried—no, I leaked. My unrelenting tears was a direct result of the emotional gutting I've received from this sad, sob-fest of a story. But the most surprising thing was underneath the crushing waves of agony and sorrow, it was punctuated by tiny nuggets of hope and healing for these characters, which comes unexpectedly in hilarious moments. A minor respite but enough to fill me with optimism that they could come back from all these, stronger as a person and tighter as a family than ever.
“How do I say Mateo reminds me of the poem that cut deepest? The one so full of fear that one break in stillness is enough to bring joy and hope and life?
I don't.”I feel obligated to talk about the characters' humanness, fragility and realness. I feel like I need to discuss the genuineness of the friendship, the family dynamics, and the wonderful portrayal of love and its complexity. I feel like I need a separate section for Mateo alone, or for Joe, or for Anna, or for Anna's parents or her Gramps, or her sister or her bestfriend. But I won't try. I don't have enough in me to try. But I was there for them and I hope that's enough.
“Think about how weird it is to feel broken and mended all at once. Sad and happy. Sappy.”
— Tell me about it, book. *sniffs*I felt so drained. So emotionally exhausted. So wrung out. This book scared me with its darkness and pain. My head hurt, as what happens, when I cry too much and I don't think I could ever go through this again. But I might, I might just have to, because if every reread is equivalent to a pat on the shoulder, or an embrace, or even a simple nod of understanding, I'd do it all again for these characters and their story.
“Everyone gets one last line. But first lines, stories of love and loss and hope floating on backs of paper cranes? We choose how many of those we get to tell.
All we have to do is breathe deep. Breathe life in.
My eyes slip closed, and I do. I breathe. I breathe. I breathe.”
This review is also posted at Smitten over Books. Copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review.
__________________________
I need a moment of silence.
Full review to come.
February 11, 2021
Thoughtful, thought provoking, bruised and wonderful.
November 18, 2014
My Summary: Anna was once a talented writer with a bright future ahead of her. With dozens of awards and publications under her belt, it once seemed like Anna was all set to pursue her dream career as an author.
But that was before: before Joe died, taking with him everything good Anna had ever seen in the world and leaving behind secrets that suggested she barely knew him. With everything crumbling around her, Anna shuts down completely.
After almost a year of this, her parents present her with an ultimatum: either she tries to move past Joe's death and reclaim her life, or they're ship her off to some Bible camp in the middle of nowhere. But moving forward is tough - especially when you're the reason someone you loved is dead in the first place ....
My Thoughts: This novel was one of those rare contemporary reads that won't let you read it all in one go. There was so much emotion jam-packed into this book that I found myself unable to read more than fifty or so pages in one sitting. I think part of the beauty of the writing is that although Anna is pretending to be numb to the world (and to the reader), the reader can feel her emotions and her struggle to keep from breaking down completely.
I loved the characters. Anna herself wasn't my favourite, although she was a great MC. Nat was probably my favourite of the bunch, but Mateo was a close runner-up.
The writing flows in a way that I can't even attempt to describe. The closest thing I can think to compare it to is music. Every other line struck a chord. If you're a writer who has ever suffered a loss that affected your writing, Anna's thoughts will read like a diary entry. For me, it was the way the words all just fit.
Final Thoughts: This was a powerful novel about love and grief and learning to let go. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys edgier contemporary literature and is not afraid of a good cry.
But that was before: before Joe died, taking with him everything good Anna had ever seen in the world and leaving behind secrets that suggested she barely knew him. With everything crumbling around her, Anna shuts down completely.
After almost a year of this, her parents present her with an ultimatum: either she tries to move past Joe's death and reclaim her life, or they're ship her off to some Bible camp in the middle of nowhere. But moving forward is tough - especially when you're the reason someone you loved is dead in the first place ....
My Thoughts: This novel was one of those rare contemporary reads that won't let you read it all in one go. There was so much emotion jam-packed into this book that I found myself unable to read more than fifty or so pages in one sitting. I think part of the beauty of the writing is that although Anna is pretending to be numb to the world (and to the reader), the reader can feel her emotions and her struggle to keep from breaking down completely.
I loved the characters. Anna herself wasn't my favourite, although she was a great MC. Nat was probably my favourite of the bunch, but Mateo was a close runner-up.
The writing flows in a way that I can't even attempt to describe. The closest thing I can think to compare it to is music. Every other line struck a chord. If you're a writer who has ever suffered a loss that affected your writing, Anna's thoughts will read like a diary entry. For me, it was the way the words all just fit.
Final Thoughts: This was a powerful novel about love and grief and learning to let go. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys edgier contemporary literature and is not afraid of a good cry.
August 30, 2014
I liked SO many things about this book. I highlighted more than I EVER have in a book before—amazing quotes! Kate Bassett has an incredible gift. Words and Their Meanings is so well written—I can’t even get over it. This book has the potential to be a runaway bestseller in the YA Fiction market, and I’m sure it will have movie buzz in the future. Anna is a main character in every sense—she’s the star player and other lives revolve around her, but not in typical fashion. Anna is dark, emotional, unstable, honest, immature, and scared. She’s traumatized by the death of Joe (her best friend/bruncle) and believes she is to blame. As a result, she makes herself into a teenage Patti Smith and rebels against all things ‘normal.’ Anna is surrounded by an amazing best friend, a nervous younger sister, a grandpa, and her mom. All the supporting players in Anna’s story are constantly worried about her. The story takes us through Anna’s discovery of secrets—some from Joe, and some from other important characters in her story. Bassett has crafted a beautiful, heart-wrenching, honest tale of grief, love, and finding oneself. I highly recommend Words and Their Meanings to fans of YA Fiction, General Fiction, and stories of working through grief and self-blame. Bassett is an author to keep your eye on. I can’t wait to see what she writes next!
Two of my favorite lines:
Art is an accurate statement of the time in which it is made.
In the long run, you need to understand that people—even the best people—are always more and less than we imagine.
*I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
Two of my favorite lines:
Art is an accurate statement of the time in which it is made.
In the long run, you need to understand that people—even the best people—are always more and less than we imagine.
*I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
September 8, 2014
Author
Kate Bassett
Publication Date
September 8, 2014
Synopsis
When Joe died, so did Anna's words. The grief was too great to move forward, so Anna focused on "coffin yoga" and the life and style of Patti Smith until her parents gave her the ultimatum: begin to crawl out from underneath the grief and get a summer job or spend the summer at BrightLight, a spiritual summer camp. Origami cranes and an intriguing co-worker slowly show Anna what family and love really mean.
High Points
Bassett's imagery and metaphors are beautiful, poetic. Anna's grief, while a bit frightening, is genuine. I was pleasantly surprised by the twist of Joe's love life and the secret girl in his life. I loved that Mateo didn't "rescue" Anna from her grief. It's lovely to see a girl work on herself before pursuing the romance.
Low Points
This is a very angst-y book, even for the subject matter. All the characters are swept up in their own grief. It felt just a touch too dramatic for me. Also, I hated saying goodbye the one voice of reason.
You'll love it if...
...you are looking for a heavy read with a optimistic ending. ...you love the melodrama of the teen years.
Overall
3.5 Stars
E-Galley received form NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. For more previews and reviews for the Readist, please visit www.thereadist.com.
Kate Bassett
Publication Date
September 8, 2014
Synopsis
When Joe died, so did Anna's words. The grief was too great to move forward, so Anna focused on "coffin yoga" and the life and style of Patti Smith until her parents gave her the ultimatum: begin to crawl out from underneath the grief and get a summer job or spend the summer at BrightLight, a spiritual summer camp. Origami cranes and an intriguing co-worker slowly show Anna what family and love really mean.
High Points
Bassett's imagery and metaphors are beautiful, poetic. Anna's grief, while a bit frightening, is genuine. I was pleasantly surprised by the twist of Joe's love life and the secret girl in his life. I loved that Mateo didn't "rescue" Anna from her grief. It's lovely to see a girl work on herself before pursuing the romance.
Low Points
This is a very angst-y book, even for the subject matter. All the characters are swept up in their own grief. It felt just a touch too dramatic for me. Also, I hated saying goodbye the one voice of reason.
You'll love it if...
...you are looking for a heavy read with a optimistic ending. ...you love the melodrama of the teen years.
Overall
3.5 Stars
E-Galley received form NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. For more previews and reviews for the Readist, please visit www.thereadist.com.
May 17, 2014
(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to Flux and NetGalley.)
17-year-old Anna is trying to come to terms with her uncle’s death, but she’s having a hard time of it.
How did Joe die? Was it really Anna’s fault? And what secrets will she uncover whilst trying to unravel the mystery?
This was an okay story about grief, but I preferred the mystery element to the rest of the story.
Anna was an okay character, it was clear that she grieving over her uncle’s death, and clear that her coping mechanisms weren’t the same as everyone else’s. I did feel sorry for her at points, but being inside her head was a little chaotic at times.
The storyline in this was okay, but I preferred the mystery element to everything else. I liked the mystery over what had happened to Joe, and why Anna felt guilty, but I wasn’t so interested in her ‘coffin yoga’, or the other nonsense she seemed to come out with.
There was a bit of romance which was quite nice, but again, I didn’t love it.
The ending to this was okay, and I was glad that the mystery was solved. I didn’t really feel like Anna was out of her grief-induced haze yet though.
Overall; okay story, but slowly paced,
6.5 out of 10.
17-year-old Anna is trying to come to terms with her uncle’s death, but she’s having a hard time of it.
How did Joe die? Was it really Anna’s fault? And what secrets will she uncover whilst trying to unravel the mystery?
This was an okay story about grief, but I preferred the mystery element to the rest of the story.
Anna was an okay character, it was clear that she grieving over her uncle’s death, and clear that her coping mechanisms weren’t the same as everyone else’s. I did feel sorry for her at points, but being inside her head was a little chaotic at times.
The storyline in this was okay, but I preferred the mystery element to everything else. I liked the mystery over what had happened to Joe, and why Anna felt guilty, but I wasn’t so interested in her ‘coffin yoga’, or the other nonsense she seemed to come out with.
There was a bit of romance which was quite nice, but again, I didn’t love it.
The ending to this was okay, and I was glad that the mystery was solved. I didn’t really feel like Anna was out of her grief-induced haze yet though.
Overall; okay story, but slowly paced,
6.5 out of 10.
June 8, 2014
Anna had an uncle who was raised as a brother to her, and she idolized him. In the year since his death, for which she blames herself, she has practiced “coffin yoga” by lying still every morning and by turning herself into Patti Smith. There is a mystery aspect to the story as she realizes that she didn’t know everything about her cousin, and there is a nice romance (that I did not totally buy even though the character was sweet). I enjoyed the story until the end, when something is revealed about her cousin’s actions that I found to be totally jarring and unbelievable. I also raised an eyebrow at the idea that Anna spent all this time on Patti Smith’s words but hadn’t read Just Kids, which turned out to be part of the resolution. There were a lot of vivid and interesting things about this book, but the end fell flat for me.
January 26, 2015
Anna O'Mally, a 17-year-old writer with promise, who is struggling with grief and adolescent angst as she mourns the death of her bruncle and the divorce of her parents. The cast of characters includes Anna's younger sister Bea, who likes hiding; Nat, her BFF; Anna's parents and her maternal grandfather. Mateo provides an intriguing first-love interest.
I love the character development of all the characters featured in this story. Every player has some back story to which we are privileged. The most fleeting character has memorable details provided, putting flesh to the word with parsimony, allowing for greater imaginative interaction with the story.
Themes include family problems, friendship, datig, death, suicidal behaviors, writing. The plot involves Anna's journey of self-reclamation and the recovery of her writing voice.
I love the character development of all the characters featured in this story. Every player has some back story to which we are privileged. The most fleeting character has memorable details provided, putting flesh to the word with parsimony, allowing for greater imaginative interaction with the story.
Themes include family problems, friendship, datig, death, suicidal behaviors, writing. The plot involves Anna's journey of self-reclamation and the recovery of her writing voice.
November 14, 2015
I saw this book compared to Jandy Nelson's work and knew I had to read it. My response? This book fucking wishes.
I hated this pretentious bullshit and I'm pretty sure I haven't read a more unlikable protagonist in ages, and I've read a lot of bad books this year. Not only did I hate it, but it was also boring. It took me weeks to get through and it is not a long book.
I'm truly perplexed by all the good reviews for this book. If you want to see YA grief done right, pick up Jandy Nelson or a handful of other authors. There wasn't a single part of this book that I could relate to. Of course everyone grieves differently, but this could not have felt more unrealistic to me. I wanted to punch Anna, not give her a hug.
I want my friends to read this so I can trash it with them, but at the same time, I wouldn't wish this book on anyone, so please skip it.
I hated this pretentious bullshit and I'm pretty sure I haven't read a more unlikable protagonist in ages, and I've read a lot of bad books this year. Not only did I hate it, but it was also boring. It took me weeks to get through and it is not a long book.
I'm truly perplexed by all the good reviews for this book. If you want to see YA grief done right, pick up Jandy Nelson or a handful of other authors. There wasn't a single part of this book that I could relate to. Of course everyone grieves differently, but this could not have felt more unrealistic to me. I wanted to punch Anna, not give her a hug.
I want my friends to read this so I can trash it with them, but at the same time, I wouldn't wish this book on anyone, so please skip it.
November 19, 2014
This was a really interesting read – very dark for your typical YA, but I think it needed to be dark. Centering on Anna, the story explores loss and grieving and the sort of larger truth that all of us can have very different experiences of the same person. A year after her older brother/uncle’s death, Anna begins to uncover secrets and hidden facets of his life she never knew about. Add in larger family drama, a bestie, and possible love interest and you get a complex and maturely conceived novel. There are moments of teen angst and drama, but that rings true as well as all of us are orphaned children as we lose those closest to ourselves. It wasn’t always an easy read – intense and a little heavy – but it was a really rewarding book to spend some time inside.
December 28, 2014
To be honest, I read so many YA novels in 2014 about death (John Green's THE FAULT LIES IN OUR STARS, for one) that I wasn't looking forward to reading one more. But from author Kate Bassett's first words I wanted to wrap them around the main character Anna (and me) like a holy comforter and cocoon with her this whole ride until she (we) emerged whole on the other side. Beautiful, beautiful writing. Deep. It made me feel so inadequate as a writer, as if I should never write another word because I can't do the words justice after reading WORDS AND THEIR MEANINGS. Bassett is an author to watch. I'd read anything she writes.
February 19, 2015
One of the best portrayals of loss I've ever read. Highly recommend
June 4, 2015
This was an absolutely beautiful book. The writing was gorgeous and the story was heartbreaking.
I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.
I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.
Read
February 11, 2014So, so wonderful. Watch out, world!
April 1, 2020
At first I was wary about this book largely because I did Not like Anna and I felt that the relationships with her and Mateo felt slightly too cliche (I still feel this things a little bit honestly) but I think the story of grief and the actual writing of it was so beautiful. I think the reason I dislike Anna as a person is the same as why I like her as a character, she is so incredibly flawed. I really loved at the end when Nat finally tells Anna that she is lucky to be able to grieve so loudly because I felt that Anna was incredibly self-involved for a majority of the book, always focusing on her own thoughts and feelings and not taking into considerations others. When Anna left Mateo because she "can't be a part of someone else's story" I was Furious. Being alive means that we are all part of one another stories, and Anna is constantly thinking of her own story, just like Nat called her out on. However, I did also enjoy having a main character who was so flawed and not in an "evil" or malicious way, but in a very human way. Although I wish Nat and Anna's mom called her out more on her selfish bullshit but thats fine.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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