Title: The Mosaic
Author: Nina Berkhout
Publisher: Groundwood Books
Release date: September 1st 2017
Rating: ★★★
I received this books from some very lovely people over at Groundwood Books, in exchange for an honest review.
Truth be told, I was very indecisive about The Mosaic throughout the entire book. Let's start with what made me go "YES! This is ME!" shall we?
Do you have favorite tropes when it comes to YA? Because I do and one of them is when the small town MC dreams of packing a bag and leaving their home for a while, sometimes forever, to see the world and everything it has to offer.
I grew up on the countryside, I come from a small town and just like Twyla, the character at the center of this book, I too wanted to leave town at the end of high school. And I did.
As a reader, being able to relate to this longing Twyla had for the unknown made me feel that much closer to her.
But to be frank, it's the only one of her characteristics I found to be enjoyable and believable.
Twyla is an idealist at heart. At times in the book it doesn't exactly seem that way, but she hopes and believes she'll have a beautiful future with her boyfriend, taking photographs of his cooking and making a life for themselves in a new city. Later on, she envisioned another life completely, never thinking that the people involved in that plan might not so simply go along with it because it is, in the end, only a fantasy.
While I can appreciate dreaming big, and getting lost in daydreams, I found Twyla to be a bit too innocent. Having been in her position as a senior not so long ago, I wanted to gently take her hand, look her in the eyes and tell her "sweetie, it's not gonna happen like that".
The story in itself was a beautiful one. One filled with emotions, filled with character growth, and over all well crafted. Unfortunately, it wasn't quite my cup of tea and I found myself bored at times. Nothing to do with the writing, just a matter of personal taste.
Although this book was a bit of a challenge to finish for me, I tilt my hat to the author for a beautiful ending; one that wasn't perfect for the characters, but was perfect for the story. If a book, after I turn its last page, can leave me with a little smile on my lips and some rays of sunshine in my heart, I say job well done.
The Mosaic is a nice contemporary read, but one that sadly missed its mark with me. Despite my reading experience, I would still recommend it because while it wasn't for me, I can recognize a great book when I read one.
Sophie
"A story of love and redemption, and finding hope when you thought it was completely gone."
