White Oleander

Loneliness is the human condition. Cultivate it. The way it tunnels into you allows your soul room to grow. Never expect to outgrow loneliness. Never hope to find people who will understand you, someone to fill that space. An intelligent, sensitive person is the exception, the very great exception. If you expect to find people who will understand you, you will grow murderous with disappointment. The best you'II ever do is to understand yourself, know what it is that you want, and not let the cattle stand in your way.

Wasn't for me. Honestly, I just didn't care much about anything. Didn't click with the writing from the beginning, it is too descriptive. Not every single sentence has to have a flowery writing and similes, methaphors and the like. In fact, it's about knowing when to do it and stir the reader's emotions. Some people have said the book is one of those angsty novels where the author makes the main character go through the worse things imaginable just for the sake of it or for the shock value. Having read 30% of White Oleander I see how that may be true.

How vast was a human being's capacity for suffering. The only thing you could do was stand in awe of it. It wasn't a question of survival at all. It was the fullness of it, how much could you hold, how much could you care.

I'm so glad to have finally ticked this gem off my to-read list! Astrid, our protagonist who we following growing from 12 to 18, is a simply brilliant character. I grew to love her more and more, and couldn't help rooting for her, as she has to adapt to changing, horrifying circumstances, as Astrid flits between various different foster homes and institutions. This is a deeply sad and melancholic book, and I was grateful for the moments of hope.