"This Is All" Says It All

I have to admit that, at first, the length of this book intimidated me somewhat, especially given the fact that my busy semester leaves me with very little time to read such a long book. However, I want to tell all of you who are feeling this way, to give this book a chance because I have discovered that I somehow am making the time to read it as it has exceeded my expectations in every way. Perhaps it has something to do with my interest in psychology (I hope to go to graduate school for a PhD in psychology), or the fact that it has not been a long while since I have been a teenager, or maybe it is for both of these reasons, but Chambers so accurately depicts the experience of a teenage girl in a way that is quite astounding, especially given the fact that he has never been a teenage girl. The candid language is appealing and so relatable. I am about halfway through the book and I feel like I know Cordelia the way I would know a close friend. I think it is clever the way he presents it as Cordelia writing to her unborn child as well as the way he juxtiposes her memories and reflections upon the past with her actual writings during the periods she is reflecting upon. I also particularly enjoy that he includes poems "written by Cordelia" in her teenage years; I can relate to that as I have always been one to write about my feelings in the form of poetry especially when going through tough times and especially during my teenage years. Cordelia's thoughts, feelings, and experience are deliciously complex, which is characteristic of a teen. As you can tell, I am pretty passionate about this book, but so as not to be a spoiler and so as not to spend the rest of the night writing a lengthy post that will turn out to be longer than the book itself, I will end here... I hope you are all able to make the time to get into this book and discover that you enjoy it even half as much as I am :)