Chundeep Sidhu

I've read over a thousand books in my 26 years, and this is one that I keep coming back to. It's thought provoking and so well-written, giving an in-depth look at the life of the protagonist and her thoughts, as well as her surroundings and situation. As another reviewer stated, this book has some tough topics and I've read some people stating that this book "glorifies pedophilia." To make such a statement is extremely reductive, because it's fairly clear that this situation is much more complex than that. A quote that puts it eloquently is, "When it’s happening in real life, real people are suffering and dying and that’s horrible and I’d never want that. But when it’s fiction, when no real people are being hurt or killed, it’s interesting to explore the experience, the effects it may have, and to an extent experience the emotions involved without actually having to experience the horrible thing. You explore scary, dangerous things from a safe distance." I genuinely love this book and hold it close to my heart because I think Wavy is a phenomenal protagonist and everyone should know about her because this exemplifies what happens when you put a very intelligent person in an environment in which many would be severely hindered. This book explores the product of a terrible situation when the government isn’t doing its job and when no one is being held accountable for the safety of these children, which is very similar to what is happening in real time in America, and is why the book is called All the Ugly and Wonderful Things rather than All the Wonderful Things. There are a few triggers that readers should be aware of, such as EDs, verbal abuse, physical abuse, substance abuse, domestic violence, murder, and PTSD, but nevertheless, this is a book that deserves a chance and I highly recommend it.