Review: Harmony

Harmony by Carolyn Parkhurst
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The blurb says that it's a book about a desperate family, who turns to the last resort to help their daughter after she is kicked out even from a school for children with special needs. Based on that blurb I was expecting a psychological drama that would explain how the family managed to deal with their situation in the end. Those expectations were completely false. An "unputdownable story" (such a word)? About the strength of love, the bonds of family, and how you survive the unthinkable? Not so much. I had to force myself to read to the end and didn't find there a lot of love or family bonds, just a little pinch here and there. The "unthinkable" is also not all that unthinkable. What is it about? I'm not sure.

Just as promised the book is told from the alternating perspectives of Alexandra and her younger daughter Iris; the first tells a tale placed in 2012 of how they ended up in the camp, the latter is in 2013 and about what happened in the camp. There is also a bit of Tilly-chapters in the mix. The characters are.. strange. I don't know if the author has any first-hand experience with special-needs children, but she totally forgot how to be a normal kid. The chapters told from the perspective of the eleven-years-old girl evoke only one emotion. I don't believe it! A pre-teen girl doesn't think like that. I remember myself, I re-read what my friends and I wrote to each other at that age, and it's completely different, the way of thinking and perceiving the world is different. Iris, on the other hand, sounds like an adult, who pretends to be naive and confused.

My second problem with the book is Alexandra. She's supposed to be desperate and lonely, but sounds... empty, for the lack of a better word. The word clicked into place only on page 185, where "everyone seemed to be terribly in love with their children and not the least bit panicky about the empty hours that stretched ahead after class was over". Yes, right, just the thought a young mother of a yet absolutely normal toddler would have. The character is not exactly flat, it's as if its non-existent. The book doesn't show any sides of Alexandra's character. She doesn't have any hobbies, interests, passions. She sends her daughters to school and spends the time "practicing escapism" (Facebook, video games, you name it). An adult who doesn't like.. anything? There is absolutely nothing in her life except for the escapism. I'm not sure I can imagine a life like that, but ok, probably possible.

The incident that was the last straw before the family moves to the ill-fated camp also seems very far-fetched to me. It starts with Tilly and Alexandra in a park, there is a bunch of random kids there on a school trip. Tilly lies on the ground to take a picture of a statue. Alexandra runs there to "save" her girl from humilation, but too late. Kids start to bully and laugh at her. Really? I did exactly that many times in my life. What's wrong with lying on the ground in search of a better shot? Nobody would even notice. So here again, I don't believe it! Think of Stanislavsky.

I received the book for free through Goodreads Giveaways. All in all, I think it's a solid three. Certainly no more than that. My opinion "may or may not be relevant".

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