Young Adult Book Annotation: More Happy Than Not

I chose to annotate More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera for my Young Adult selection, and the annotation is up here!

This was a delightful novel with science-fiction appeals, with procedures of memory manipulation and induced amnesia.

I admittedly struggled at first reading the novel, attributed to my "cringe" reactions to the teenage vernacular and drama. That's not the novel's fault, it's mine, and I think it may be a shared experience a lot of adults may have in reading YA fiction meant for another generation. I've got a lot of memories of my own teenage years I'd like to excise from my own brain that haunted me before bed that the novel forced me to recall, and I don't think I'm alone in that.

The science fiction appeals maintained my interest fully; I love a narration that can layer upon itself or misdirect with unreliability, which this novel succeeds at.

Embrace the cringe, and enjoy the ride.

Comments

  1. TarynApril 7, 2024 at 6:26 PM

    This story sounds a bit sad, but super interesting. To not be able to form new memories is something that some people deal with, and having that happen to a character in a book who is growing sounds so hard. Especially in their formative years. And having to take the time to learn about yourself over and over again, about who you like and what your favorite foods are, it sounds so awful.

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