It was uncanny how much Adele and Ann in Anywhere But Here reminded me of my mom and me during my earlier teenage years. Whether I like it or not, the statement, "The thing about my mother and me is that when we get along, we’re just the same. Exactly." is exactly the truth for me. This was also the case for "Strangers almost always love my mother. And even if you hate her, can’t stand her, even if she’s ruining your life, there’s something about her, some romance, some power." However, unlike Adele, my mother has always been my staunchest advocator, provider of moral support, and has sacrificed a great amount for my success.
Back to Ann, the novel recognizes that life events are seemingly overly dramatized in your adolescence upon looking back on them once you are older. This is particularly true in a relationship between a pre-teen/teenage daughter and her mother In the moment, the perfume-buying attempt was certainly worth the anguish and backlash Ann directed toward Adele only for her to feel differently years later. Overall, I really admired the detail Simpson placed in the characters' development.
However, I felt that the book was lacking some organization. I would have appreciated more structure regarding the flashbacks and shifting perspectives throughout the book.
Unlike Joy and Cheyenne, I really enjoyed the organization of Anywhere But Here. Though not necessarily in chronological order, it seemed to make sense to me. Memories aren't always in order--especially those of a 12-year-old--and I appreciated that human aspect to it.
ReplyDeleteLike Cheyenne, the scene where Ann sexually abuses her peers caught me off guard. I wasn't expecting it, and had a picture of her as such a great kid. I realize that this doesn't inherently make her a bad kid, and (like Cheyenne said) is most likely more a reflection of her upbringing and relationship with her mother than anything else, but it still bothered me, and I found it disturbing to read.
I enjoyed the fact that Anywhere But Here was female-centric. We've read stories about women on road trips, of course, but they usually heavily involve men, and this story didn't. It was striking to me, but very welcome, and certainly interesting to consider as we continue to discuss gender and the role it plays.