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Friday, December 5, 2014

Normal People Don't Live Like This by Dylan Landis 181 pages



This book is a collection of short stories that can be read alone but that have connections, if one chooses to read them that way.  The main character is Leah Levinson, who also appeared in Rainey Royal by the same author.  This collection was written first, it is almost a practice book, for what the novel Rainey Royal became.

I read them in the reverse order in which they were written.  I am not sure it would have made a difference in my understanding or appreciating the stories if I had read them chronologically. 


It is not a happy book.  However, I believe it accurately evokes the confusion, uncertainty, and depression that most teenage girls live with and try to overcome.  I would recommend this because of the excellent writing and because it is such a sharp portrayal of teenage girls, mothers, families, and our time.

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