Review by Booklover Becca -- Kalayla by Jeannie Nicholas
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- Becca Olsson
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Review by Booklover Becca -- Kalayla by Jeannie Nicholas
Kalayla, by Jeannie Nicholas, has all the makings of a classic novel about the meaning of family and the need for a little color in life. Lena, the older owner of her apartment building, has lived her life on routine and minimalism for thirty years following the death of her husband and two youngest sons. Kalayla is an eleven-year-old girl who is always ready with a witty comment and has had her fair share of suffering following her father’s unexpected death. In an attempt to keep Kalayla out of trouble while her mother, Maureen, works two jobs, Lena intervenes in their lives and they slowly begin to open up to each other as they become a pseudo-family.
Throughout the book, the audience is shown flashbacks that allow the characters to reflect on past regrets and sorrows and provide context to their current circumstances. We see what Lena put up with in her unhappy and traumatic marriage, Maureen’s expulsion from her family for marrying a black man, Kalayla’s coping with her mother’s breakdown after her father died, and so much more. All the events in each other’s lives have laid the foundation for what becomes a formidable bond.
There are many positive notes about this book. First, it features a wide range of characters, some charming, some not, but all are very well-developed. Each experiences their own growth throughout the story and processes their trauma in different ways. Second, the technique of using multiple perspectives gives the audience unique insight into the experiences that have helped shape each character and their motivations. This includes seeing into the mind of a pre-teen who thinks she knows everything and an elderly woman who knows there’s always room to grow. Third, Nicholas touches on some heavy topics such as issues of race, PTSD, etc. without being overly obvious or heavy-hitting. The author treats each of these issues in a respectful manner and shows that no character is solely good or bad.
There are many important lessons to be learned from this book. Parents are not perfect and are dealing with their own trauma. Families are not only made up of blood relatives. It is never too late to change and reach out to estranged family members, no matter how many years have passed.
I am hard-pressed to find any negatives with this book. The characters all felt well-rounded, the way their stories were told felt natural, and it appears to be professionally edited. That is why I rate this book four out of four stars.
There is light cussing throughout the book and some slightly abusive scenes that may be distressing to some readers. Therefore, I would caution anyone who may be triggered by these descriptions against reading this. However, I would otherwise recommend this book to anyone looking for a good, solid read and for a little emotion to tug at their heart strings.
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Kalayla
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- Justine Ocsebio
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- Becca Olsson
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Thank you so much! You hit the nail on the head. It explores so much of biological family, adopted family, abusive family, etc. There’s so much to explore and each is given its own legitimacy.justhereader wrote: ↑08 Apr 2021, 21:56 A wonderful book that explores what a family is truly all about. It seems like this book deserves nothing but a maximum rating. Great job on the review!
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I particularly love your review. It is quite detailed and thorough. Well done!
- Becca Olsson
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I was a little too at some points because she believes so strongly that she’s the only smart one and I could see that being really detrimental. Then again, I don’t find it hard to believe that a lot of eleven year-olds think the same way.
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I agree entirely! I was honestly surprised when some of the topics took such strong, dark turns. I thought the book would be more light hearted, but I’m so glad she included all that. It really added some depth.
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