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BIG GIRL, SMALL TOWN - Michelle Gallen

12/1/2020

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4 stars

A singular, comedic novel about a 20-something woman on the spectrum with a lot of things she doesn't like that could probably be summarized as: Other People.

Plot/Pacing: ★★★★
Characters: ★★★★★
Dialogue/Formatting: ★★ Not for me
Enjoyment: ★★★★

Big Girl, Small Town is a very unique read. For one, it's extremely funny if you like your humor with some bite and darker edges. For another, it is an extremely compelling character study. While I personally had some issues with the formatting, I think this is a stunning debut by an Irish author to watch.

Majella is a 20-something young woman living in a small Northern Ireland border town with her alcoholic mother. She has a job, she has strong likes and dislikes, and most importantly she has a lot of opinions about the world around her.

Told over the span of one week's time, almost down to the minute-to-minute experience, we live Majella's structured existence with her and discover a few things along the way. It's a quirky, over-the-top yet poignant slice of life read with a LOT crammed into its pages.

What will Majella's week bring her? And will she like it?

My thoughts:
Majella is a character that will stay with me for a long, long time—and that's a good thing. The author's ability to bring Majella to stunning, technicolor life is something to be admired these days in fiction. I look forward to this author's future works almost solely because of this. Characters are the backbone of every story, and this one's backbone is STRONG.

Besides the glowing positives, I will say that I, as a personal reader, struggled with the formatting and structure of the book. For one, it uses dashes for dialogue instead of quote marks. Yes, I know that seems super minor, but it's not to my preference and therefore it took a while to get into the novel... and I want to highlight it for other readers who may also need the warning. The structural issue I had was in relation to the plot's pacing—living the one week in extreme detail with Majella was a bit tiring for me. I'm used to more breaks from my main characters, and used to more time progressing. Again, complete personal preference!

However, personal notes aside, this is a stunning debut and I would encourage other general fiction readers to give this one a try!

Thank you to Algonquin Books for my copy in exchange for an honest review.
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    Amy Imogene Reads

    Just someone looking for her own door into Wonderland.

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All reviews posted are my own and do not reflect the opinions of any other individual or entity.  When applicable, reviewed titles sent to me by the publisher are noted at the bottom of each review.
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    • NONFICTION+
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