Book Review: The Unpredictability of Being Human by Linni Ingemundsen
Title: The Unpredictability of Being Human
Author: Linni Ingemundsen
Published: December 28th, 2017
Publisher: Usborne Publishing
Find the Author: Goodreads
Disclosure: I was sent this ARC from the Publisher in exchange for a review. As always, my reviews are fair and unbiased.
Meet Malin, a fifteen-year-old who sees the world differently. Malin knows she couldn’t change much about her life, even if she got to play God. Her dad would still yell all the time – especially as Malin is still friends with Hanna, the girl she met shoplifting. Her mum would still say a glass of wine is good for her heart – and Mum needs it, with Malin’s brother, Sigve, getting into trouble all the time. And Malin would still be Malin. Because she can’t be anybody else.
In a voice bursting with immediacy and truth, Malin shares the absurdities of growing up and fitting in as her family struggles with the buried pain of mistakes made and secrets kept.
Profound, compassionate and as funny as it is dark, Malin’s story is an offbeat examination and celebration of the brutal, bizarre and beautiful unpredictability of being human.
If you love the freshness and honesty of The Perks of Being a Wallflower, the emotional depth of John Green, and the irreverent wit of Little Miss Sunshine, push this to the top of your TBR pile.
First Thoughts…
My Review…
What’s different about The Unpredictability of Being Human is that there is no solid plot. But in that way, it’s even more interesting, if that makes sense. It’s a crack into the universe inside Malin’s mind and a teenage life. And just a glimpse into her world is bittersweet, relateable and addictive. She’s to-the-point and there’s no messing about with her thoughts on everyday life, so there’s that same, definite maturity to her point of view that definitely made me feel like I was reading about someone a few years older (but not in a bad way).
Overall, I flew through the pages SO FAST. I think it was over three nights that I read this before bed and it was such a refreshing, slice-of-heaven that I think it’s one of those books I could pick up again in months time and re-read. The writing does take some time to get used to in Malin’s ways of talking to us as readers, but it’s honestly such a great read that I can’t think of anything that was negative about The Unpredictability of Being Human. If you love feel-good YA or similar to the John Green demographic, you’ll adore this book. Amazing read – four stars!
