I am a numbers girl. I love the thought of them, the processes they go through, everything. So I figured that "Addition" would be right up my alley. And it was. At least it was at first.
Grace is a counter. Counts everything, from steps to the number of strokes per tooth with her toothbrush and the number of bites she takes to the number of groceries she buys. In the book, it was mentioned that she is Obsessive-Compulsive. It didn't seem that way to me, I thought she was leaning more towards someone on the Autism spectrum. Either way, she was portrayed as someone who needed fixing. And this is where the book lost me.
Grace meets a boy and he good-intentionally 'helps' her overcome her 'problems.' The romance was sweet and I liked the characters, but for me, Grace's changes happened way to fast and way too easily for someone with her depth of diagnoses. The saving grace of the story was main character Grace's niece Larry. She stole the show for me. I loved the interactions between the two, it always felt real. None of Grace's other relationships had that same feeling. I would love to read more about either one of these two, as long as they are together.
While I didn't love this book, the writing was pretty amazing. There was one particular passage towards the end that struck gold for me, it resonated with where I am in my life. Grace is musing to herself after stopping her meds cold-turkey. She thinks, "Weight gain is a common side effect of drugs, and usually considered a minor one. I would suggest that those who consider it minor have not experienced blowing up so big that, when you step on a talking scale it says, 'One at a time, please.' When there's not just a thin person inside you trying to get out, but several of them. I'm not talking about vanity. I'm talking about your sense of self. Consider the number of times you see your body. In the mirror and in windows as you walk. Your hands as you type or sort the washing...All these times, to be confronted by the sight of someone who is not you- not-your-hands at the end of not-your arms - can fill you with a sense of dislocation each second of each minute of each day."
Overall, a good read. But it did lose a star because of what I perceived to be fantasy (her ease at changing her lifestyle) in a contemporary novel.
Grace is a counter. Counts everything, from steps to the number of strokes per tooth with her toothbrush and the number of bites she takes to the number of groceries she buys. In the book, it was mentioned that she is Obsessive-Compulsive. It didn't seem that way to me, I thought she was leaning more towards someone on the Autism spectrum. Either way, she was portrayed as someone who needed fixing. And this is where the book lost me.
Grace meets a boy and he good-intentionally 'helps' her overcome her 'problems.' The romance was sweet and I liked the characters, but for me, Grace's changes happened way to fast and way too easily for someone with her depth of diagnoses. The saving grace of the story was main character Grace's niece Larry. She stole the show for me. I loved the interactions between the two, it always felt real. None of Grace's other relationships had that same feeling. I would love to read more about either one of these two, as long as they are together.
While I didn't love this book, the writing was pretty amazing. There was one particular passage towards the end that struck gold for me, it resonated with where I am in my life. Grace is musing to herself after stopping her meds cold-turkey. She thinks, "Weight gain is a common side effect of drugs, and usually considered a minor one. I would suggest that those who consider it minor have not experienced blowing up so big that, when you step on a talking scale it says, 'One at a time, please.' When there's not just a thin person inside you trying to get out, but several of them. I'm not talking about vanity. I'm talking about your sense of self. Consider the number of times you see your body. In the mirror and in windows as you walk. Your hands as you type or sort the washing...All these times, to be confronted by the sight of someone who is not you- not-your-hands at the end of not-your arms - can fill you with a sense of dislocation each second of each minute of each day."
Overall, a good read. But it did lose a star because of what I perceived to be fantasy (her ease at changing her lifestyle) in a contemporary novel.
