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A review by heather4994
Death, Dickinson, and the Demented Life of Frenchie Garcia by Jenny Torres Sanchez
5.0
Frenchie is obsessed with death. And she's depressed. And who wouldn't be? Her long time crush took his life after spending his last night visiting weird places with her. Does she take it personally? Did he choose to spend his last night with her because she was special? Or did she just happen to be there and had a car? What was that night all about? And how does she get past it? And why don't any of her friends see that something is wrong with her? Why are they so self involved that they can't see she's suffering? And why can't she tell them what happened?
Lots of questions, some answers. This isn't exactly an uplifting novel, but it isn't depressing. It's just a novel about life. Sometimes, s*** happens. And sometimes, you just have to figure out how to get past it and go on. Sometimes, you don't get the answers you need, but you find understanding anyway. Andy and Frenchie spent an incredible night together. They talked and laughed and she thought "Finally, he sees me. We're gonna be together." So when she wakes up the next morning, she's expecting a day full of "happy, happy, happy!" Instead, she wakes up to the news that Andy was found dead that morning. Frenchie goes from 60 to 0 in 6 seconds flat. She hits a brick wall and just can't get back up again. We follow Frenchie through her attempt to swim through her feelings of depression and confusion. She makes several huge blunders, not that everyone else smells like a rose, but Frenchie is prickly to the point of being mean and rude.
The question is, did I like Frenchie? And the answer is yes. How can I not feel for her? She's gotten the ultimate rejection whatever Andy meant it to be, for Frenchie, it feels like rejection. She thought the night with Andy meant something good was happening in her life. And Andy ended his life. And changed Frenchie's forever. She is stuck. Her application to art school was rejected. Her best friend has dumped her for a girl. She's got nothing. Except a gravestone in the cemetery down the street that bears the name "Emily Dickinson" (not THE Emily Dickinson) and music. I loved Frenchie's brutal and I do mean brutal honesty at times. I'm sure she was lashing out, but she did feel what she was saying. I like a character that doesn't mince words. She had a mother and father that were present if a little clueless. They worried about her. And I liked Colin, the bouncer at the music club that eventually helps Frenchie get through it all. I thought he was kind of creepy and lecherous at first, but he turns out to be one of the good ones.
I loved the journey, loved the characters, and I loved Jenny Sanchez's writing style. The dialogue was sharp and smart with a bit of humor, a bit of bite, and a bit of philosophical thought. Frenchie wasn't warm and fuzzy but a very believable character. The various friends are also richly developed and give even more depth to the story. The setting feels like the author lived there, is describing her old neighborhood. And the story is about growing up and moving on. Stuff happens. That's what Death, Dickinson and the Demented Life of Frenchie Garcia is all about.
I received a copy from the publicist for review. The opinions expressed are my own.
Lots of questions, some answers. This isn't exactly an uplifting novel, but it isn't depressing. It's just a novel about life. Sometimes, s*** happens. And sometimes, you just have to figure out how to get past it and go on. Sometimes, you don't get the answers you need, but you find understanding anyway. Andy and Frenchie spent an incredible night together. They talked and laughed and she thought "Finally, he sees me. We're gonna be together." So when she wakes up the next morning, she's expecting a day full of "happy, happy, happy!" Instead, she wakes up to the news that Andy was found dead that morning. Frenchie goes from 60 to 0 in 6 seconds flat. She hits a brick wall and just can't get back up again. We follow Frenchie through her attempt to swim through her feelings of depression and confusion. She makes several huge blunders, not that everyone else smells like a rose, but Frenchie is prickly to the point of being mean and rude.
The question is, did I like Frenchie? And the answer is yes. How can I not feel for her? She's gotten the ultimate rejection whatever Andy meant it to be, for Frenchie, it feels like rejection. She thought the night with Andy meant something good was happening in her life. And Andy ended his life. And changed Frenchie's forever. She is stuck. Her application to art school was rejected. Her best friend has dumped her for a girl. She's got nothing. Except a gravestone in the cemetery down the street that bears the name "Emily Dickinson" (not THE Emily Dickinson) and music. I loved Frenchie's brutal and I do mean brutal honesty at times. I'm sure she was lashing out, but she did feel what she was saying. I like a character that doesn't mince words. She had a mother and father that were present if a little clueless. They worried about her. And I liked Colin, the bouncer at the music club that eventually helps Frenchie get through it all. I thought he was kind of creepy and lecherous at first, but he turns out to be one of the good ones.
I loved the journey, loved the characters, and I loved Jenny Sanchez's writing style. The dialogue was sharp and smart with a bit of humor, a bit of bite, and a bit of philosophical thought. Frenchie wasn't warm and fuzzy but a very believable character. The various friends are also richly developed and give even more depth to the story. The setting feels like the author lived there, is describing her old neighborhood. And the story is about growing up and moving on. Stuff happens. That's what Death, Dickinson and the Demented Life of Frenchie Garcia is all about.
I received a copy from the publicist for review. The opinions expressed are my own.