Annie John

Really enjoyed this one, I loved Kincaid's limpid and matter-of-fact prose style overlaid onto the vivid and dramatic outer and inner life of the teenage Annie. This is not a sweet cuddly coming of age story. Annie's mom basically rejects her as soon as she hits preteendom, and Annie has to fiercely figure out how to navigate the world from there, and she's bold and funny and adventurous and smart and naughty. But her story is told as if it's a memoir, as if it's "recounted" by a much older version of herself. Maybe it's because I'm older but I really enjoy this perspective. I don't feel like I need to feel all the same things Annie felt to relate to her, I just appreciate hearing them described so clearly as the story of her life. Would love to read more Kincaid