Among Other Things, I’ve Taken Up Smoking {book review – Amanda} * * *

I read this because it sounded interesting to me when I read the summary.  After reading the book, however, I find that the summary is at odds with the actual story.  I think I was expecting a different sort of book than what I got, but the actual story is still a very good read, so I am glad that I read this.  If Sweeney would publish a second novel, I would consider reading it.

Rich and evocative, Aoibheann Sweeney’s debut novel paints an indelible portrait of the profound human need for intimacy.  Among Other Things, I’ve Taken Up Smoking is a haunting story of a young woman with an unshakable loneliness and the relationship that finally pierces it.

-from the back of the book

Plot/Pacing/Writing Style

I adored Sweeney’s writing style.  It was descriptive and almost poetic at times, but not overly so.  However, the plot and pacing of the book were downsides for me, and what turned an amazing book into a book I just liked.  The summary led me to believe that there would be a lot of discovery about her father’s past, when in fact, there is very little discovery (though what is discovered it quite interesting) and most of it was never explicitly stated and the reader is left to infer what actually happened.  We learn next to nothing about Miranda’s mother or how her father and mother got together (which I’ll admit I would have liked to know, though I’m unsure what this would have added to the book).  I flew through this book in a single afternoon, but I was shocked when I got to the end, because I felt like I hadn’t had enough yet.  In some ways, it felt rushed.  I felt like there wasn’t an ending that was all nicely tied up, and I was left wondering what it all meant.

Characters

Favorite Quotes

“It is astonishing, in the end, how difficult it is to know the things you know.  What I mean is that all I had discovered was everything I knew all along.”