Even Weirder Than Before

by Susie Taylor

Daisy's job is to be as unobtrusive as possible. But when her father suddenly leaves and her mother breaks down, Daisy's old life disappears, and she is set free in the rift created between her parents. Susie Taylor's sharp, quick-witted prose carries Daisy through a family cataclysm, relationships with boys, and her increasingly confusing feelings towards girls, especially Wanda. A refreshingly perceptive and honest debut, Even Weirder Than Before explores the nature of family, friendships, and sexual awakenings--and introduces one of Newfoundland's most exciting new writers.

Genres: Fiction, Canada, Queer

264 pages, Paperback

Published May 30, 2019

About the author

Susie Taylor’s debut novel Even Weirder Than Before is published with Breakwater Books. She won the 2015 NLCU Fresh Fish Award for Emerging Writers. Taylor’s short stories have appeared in Geist, Prism International, The Fiddlehead, Room Magazine, Riddle Fence and elsewhere.

Reviews

[Terry Doyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so immersive, and propulsive. I got lost in its pages and devoured it quicker than I normally read anything. The relationships are fraught and sweet and utterly true. I can't recommend this book enough.

[Agnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. A relatable portrayal of growing up.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy read with an enjoyable story.

[Janalynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid 4.5 stars for this fantastic debut novel. (And my first e-book loan from the library, ever).

This coming-of-age story set in Ontario in the late 80s is feel-good nostalgia. I'm not sure my high school experience had much in common with Daisy's, but the story feels so authentic. There's even a character named Jana. (This rarely happens!)

I'm not even sure I can pinpoint why I loved this book. I think, maybe, because it felt like such an accurate telling of the typical high school ups and downs? There's a first date, skipped classes, family drama, heartbreak, and awkward changes in and out of your gym clothes. And also that last day of class before the Christmas break when teachers are super laid back and you do zero work.

I was a little bummed when the story was finished.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this book was a completely enjoyable experience for me. Set in the late 80s, Daisy is a young girl growing up, going to school in Ontario, and navigating the first point in her life when romantic and platonic/ familial relationships are in competition.

The plot was simple, yet so interesting and refreshing. I didn't realize I was completely in the mood for a story almost entirely devoid of technology. The lack of technology is not a main plot point, but it was another piece of the "simplicity" of growing up in a time before cell phones - waiting for your friends or crush to call, having to entertain yourself outside of texts and apps.

Enjoyable read!

[Jim Fisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have grown to dislike the overused term "coming of age" but that's how many reviewers will describe this book of Daisy Radcliffe's journeys from Grade 8 to the end of High School in the late 80s. Fast-paced, it hits all the highs and lows of the teen years: classes, romances, plays, house parties, teen pregnancies and more. If you grew up in this era before smartphones and PCs, when telephones still had cords, you'll be able to relate and you'll love every page.

[Shauna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Randomly selected this book from the library. It was a pleasant surprise and a great read. Even more to my surprise the author is from Harbour Grace!

[CaseyTheCanadianLesbrarian · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I appreciate the hyper realism and understatedness of this coming of age novel, in a way it felt *too* real. It follows Daisy from grade 8 to 12 in a Toronto suburb in the early 1990s as she navigates her parents' divorce, her first boyfriend and sexual experiences, friendship, school, jobs.

It felt very much like a real life, in a good and a bad way. Like, it's nice to read something thay feels like it could really be about your life. But you also want to read about your life in a way that makes you see it in a new light, or that gives it a sense of significance.

The writing is very plain, which I kind of enjoyed at first. But after a while it felt lacking, like it was a simple recitation of events rather than a story that gave those individual events meaning when brought together. I just didn't feel emotionally engaged by the story or its characters, who all fell a bit flat to me. I have to give it credit for being pretry compulsively readable for the most part; except I was inexplicably kind of bored at the same time?

I was waiting for something to happen with Wanda, with whom Daisy's had a bit of a sexually charged friendship. But when they finally kissed on literally the last page of the book, I couldn't be bothered to care. I'm always glad to see bisexual representation. But I wish I had had any inkling of what was going on in the heart or mind of this bisexual character.

[chloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was a canadian female led perks of being a wallflower and i really loved it!!! i picked this book up randomly a few weeks ago at a local bookstore in ontario, i skimmed the pages and realized it was set in toronto which is what sold me. it’s a coming of age story, which is basically all that i read throughout high school, so this was really nostalgic for me. overall i’m really glad i gave this little story a chance :’)

[Katherine Krige · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is it weird to think that Susie Taylor was spying on me in high school? That she went to my school or lived in my town? Because even though I have never met her, I swear she knows me through and through. From the location just north of Toronto, to the awkward oddball friends who don't exactly fit in with any other groups, but still manage to find a niche within themselves, I related so much to this book. I want to share this book with my children for them to get an insight into what life looked like in my youth, and simultaneously want to hide it from them for fear they will see what my life looked like in my youth.

Does that make this book good? It is relateable for me, and that means the author was successful in painting the vivid awkwardness of the teenage years. They are weird. And if you don't think so, maybe your confidence was way higher than mine, but I also think you are lying a little bit, because those years are also about coming into one's own and that is never easy. But this novel, that I flew through, captures it well. Thumbs up from me.

[Laurie Burns · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet little story about the challenges of growing up.

[Cathy Regular · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.7/5.0

[Becky Winsor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book because it was so relatable and also nostalgic for pre cell phone teenage years.

[Queen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Allllll of this for a lesbian kiss?!?!? Ugh

[Digitally Lit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jaime: I just finished reading “Even Weirder Than Before” by Susie Taylor from Breakwater Books and it was a great read! It’s told from the perspective of the main character Daisy Radcliffe who goes through all of the ups and downs of a young teenage girl from the age of 14 to 18 years old.

Throughout the novel, Daisy explains all the difficult situations she goes through in life and in high school such as friendships, relationships, awkward emotions, parent divorce, and bullying. Daisy’s parents are divorced so she finds it difficult keeping her mother feeling happy while also dealing with her awkward encounters with her father, Donald. Her best friend Wanda helps her immensely with things like her boyfriend and parent struggles, bullying issues, but also takes her out to a few parties as well.

My favourite part of this book is when her other friend, Cora, takes Daisy out. In this section, Cora realizes that Daisy has troubles with her boyfriend and other friends and simply just wants to take Daisy out to have girl time while having fun and forgetting all the negative things.

What I love about this book is that it is extremely honest about teen struggles. It goes through the awkward stages of things like having a boyfriend, getting your period, and not having the ‘ideal’ body type without making it seem like those things are gross and shouldn’t be talked about.

This was an awesome book and I would definitely recommend reading it! I give it a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating!

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this coming of age story!
Set in the early 1990's we meet
Daisy a low-key, quiet teenager. The book starts off with her father leaving and her mother having a breakdown. This leaves her free to do what she likes from awkward parties, to boys, drugs, socializing with friends, sexual confusion and awakening.
•
I love the way Susie Taylor captured the essence of being a teenager. The emotional high's and low's, the insecurities, the confusion. It's such a complicated time in our lives and I don't think I've ever read a book that really captured adolescence so accurately. Daisy is a great character! Relatable, well rounded, really all the characters were well done. The relationships in this book are filled with depth and truth. The time the book is set in was perfect too. It made me reminiscent of my own adolescence and childhood. A simpler time, before social media and technology were everywhere.
This book is refreshing, tender, honest, heartbreaking and compulsively readable.
For a debut book and I was impressed and affected by Susie Taylor's prose. Honestly one of the best books I've ever read about the complexities of growing up.
Reccomended Reading!
•
Thank You so much to @breakwaterbooks
for sending me this one. Opinions are my own.

[Cardmaker · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Early 1990s: there's no internet, phones have cords, VHS is still a thing, and Daisy Radcliffe's family is disintegrating. As the stability of Daisy's old life disappears, she is set adrift into the odd territory between adolescence and adulthood. Susie Taylor's sharp, quick-witted prose carries Daisy through a maze of awkward parties, drugs, and rec rooms - new friends, social adversaries, and sexual awakenings.

I rarely give five stars but this one deserves it. Wonderful story telling. I was afraid when I bought the book that it was going to be geared too much toward the Young Adult category. Although I like YA books, sometimes they don't have enough for me. This one definitely has enough. It takes us through Daisy's life from middle school to the end of high school, with all the firsts that young people go through, plus her parents' marriage troubles and her friends' heartbreaks and fun times. It's just such a wonderful book. I can't say enough good things about it. It's not all flowers and fun either. It's honest.

[hiaa123 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even Weirder Than Before started off slow for me but I grew to really love it! Maybe I just wasn't that into her middle school life, because it picked up for me when Daisy got to high school. I just became fully immersed in Daisy's world, the high school experience growing up in northern Toronto (not the part of the city I'm too familiar with but enough nods to familiar Toronto staples). It reminded me a bit of books I grew up reading (Judy Blume-esque), maybe because it was set in the 90s. I'm a bit younger than Daisy (in terms of when I grew up) but following her journey growing up made me feel really nostalgic. I liked reading about Daisy's teenage struggles as she navigates friendships, romances, and family struggles. This book just felt like the ultimate comfort coming-of-age of a time gone by. Reading this felt like a lovely interlude within the chaos of my life.

[Enid Wray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another lovely debut novel. Beautiful, funny-sad coming of age story with a twist… as mother and daughter both come into their own side by side - though not always in sync. Daisy - and the other main characters - are authentic, warm and relatable - and you’ll be cheering for them as they move from being awkward insecure Grade 9’s to finding themselves, and a sense of their place in the world, by the end of Grade 12. A finely nuanced consideration of what being a teenager is all about. And, it has a great soundtrack as well… I just don’t understand why the story is set in the GTA… why not Newfoundland?

[Glenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this coming of age novel. It was like taking a ride back into my teens and all of the drama of high school. Real characters you find yourself cheering on come to life with Taylor's great prose as she steers the reader through all of the angst that comes with being a teenager. The pacing is great and while nothing riveting enough to be considered a page-turner is happening, it still becomes hard to put it down, making it a quick read. I believe Daisy will live on for a long time yet in my head--always a sign of a good book, when you're sad to say goodbye at the end of it to the characters. Highly recommend this one.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was easy to read. At first I found the choppy, rushed flow a little confounding, but by the end, it felt like the most appropriate choice to tell this story.

Daisy's experiences rang true to my own. While we didn't walk identical paths in any way, I still felt a strong connection to the general vibes. I had my own step-son read this before me, and he loved it. When I got to the end, I realized it was the perfect book for him in his final year of high school.

[Elizabeth McCowan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t know if I love this book because it was written at the same time and place where I grew up, or if it was Susie Taylor‘s writing style. Written so simply, yet, so deeply complex. A must read for any woman in her 40’s for sure! Although able to transcend the ages, I felt like Susie Taylor was writing this book for me.

[Matthew McCarthy · Rating 4 out of 5]

With its winning voice, charming cast of characters, and subtle, tender moments, Even Weirder than Before reads like an old friend.

[Bridget Canning · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just loved this book. One of the best stories about growing up I've ever read.

[Harold Walters · Rating 4 out of 5]

See my complete column at the following link:
https://www.thepacket.ca/opinion/colu...

[Sara Hawkins · Rating 2 out of 5]

Predicable

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grabbed this book off the shelf at the library without knowing anything about it. It was fun to read and brought up feelings of nostalgia from my high school days.

[Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Liked it. Normally avoid books with teenagers in it , but this seemed to be a little more mature in tone,

[Gillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a lovely book. Daisy and her friends and family are so relatable. The ups and downs of friendship at this age seriously shape your life and Taylor depicts them so well.

[Carmella Gray-Cosgrove · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book captures so clearly that moment just before adulthood when everything is new and sex and sexuality are still mysterious. Part family saga, part coming of age novel, part coming out story, this book is such a unique glimpse inside Daisy's life as she learns about desire at a time and in a place when being queer was not an option.