The Things You Kiss Goodbye
by Leslie Connor
When you read a bad book, you either try to forget you read it, or unfortunately it gets stored in your gray matter as a disturbing story you wish you never heard. I can’t remember the last time I read a story more upsetting and offensive as The Things You Kiss Goodbye.
The main character is a teenaged girl, sheltered and strictly ruled by her Greek Orthodox father. I understand that the audience isn’t supposed to like the father character, but I abhorred the main character just as much as her father. To me, if a book is supposed to be a coming-of-age tale of self-discovery and learning how to stand up to one’s parents, it should be written that way. The girl is written to be a very intelligent, careful young lady, so if she had any desire to start a new life for herself—which she very clearly did—she would absolutely have the mental capacity to create such a life. Instead, she willingly stays stuck with her oppressive family, even though that is not the theme of the book. It is very clearly a book about growing up, not about staying in an unhealthy environment, so the character’s stagnancy and attitude towards her family were inconsistent with the very core of the novel. Leslie Connor doesn’t write this character/story flaw in a realistic way, and the heroine is not a character I can root for.
I won’t spoil anything, but the ending is terribly upsetting, for many different reasons. I do not recommend this book, especially if you think you’ll identify with the main character. If you read the blurb and first chapter and think you’ll like the way it turns out, heed my warning. You won’t.
The main character is a teenaged girl, sheltered and strictly ruled by her Greek Orthodox father. I understand that the audience isn’t supposed to like the father character, but I abhorred the main character just as much as her father. To me, if a book is supposed to be a coming-of-age tale of self-discovery and learning how to stand up to one’s parents, it should be written that way. The girl is written to be a very intelligent, careful young lady, so if she had any desire to start a new life for herself—which she very clearly did—she would absolutely have the mental capacity to create such a life. Instead, she willingly stays stuck with her oppressive family, even though that is not the theme of the book. It is very clearly a book about growing up, not about staying in an unhealthy environment, so the character’s stagnancy and attitude towards her family were inconsistent with the very core of the novel. Leslie Connor doesn’t write this character/story flaw in a realistic way, and the heroine is not a character I can root for.
I won’t spoil anything, but the ending is terribly upsetting, for many different reasons. I do not recommend this book, especially if you think you’ll identify with the main character. If you read the blurb and first chapter and think you’ll like the way it turns out, heed my warning. You won’t.