All That It Ever Meant
I loved reading this book. The story is about a tragedy - the loss of a parent, but also about connections and family, with an incredible plot twist at the end. It's a very unique story, and I've never read anything simialr before. The story follows the main characters' journey, while occasionally giving flashbacks and clues shown through stories. Mati, the narrator, is an insightful, thoughtful 14-year-old girl. The author deliberately focused the attention on her family, with lots of descriptions to help us truly understand the characters. My favourite character was Chichi, which I think is quite controversial, but I felt like I could understand her point of view and I think that her strong will and rebellion made her an intriguing and exciting character. This story is written in the first person, which is important to the story because it would change the entire story so dramatically (You'll understand if you've read it!) and the amazing plot twist would be completely ruined. The setting is described in a bit of detail, but the descriptions mostly focus on the characters' appearances and emotions. Their actions and words are also described in detail, as they are important to understand the story. Mati spoke in depth about the idea of 'looking behind things' to find secrets. This really interested me and it will interest you too if you love contemplating deep thoughts! In conclusion, I would definitely recommend this book because it is thought-provoking and a great read!

Hayley