Rosewater- A Novel by Liv Little
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Web ID: 16849979Thank You Liv Little
This book made me feel so seen and understood.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
steamy, angsty, sexy, funny, and emotional
Liv Little’s debut Rosewater explores a young poetess’ journey of self-discovery as she leaves her twenties behind while searching for a way to make her passion for words a viable and stable source of income and make peace with her family and the trauma and baggage of her childhood. I tried to go into Rosewater with an open mind, though I’m not much of a literary fiction fan. Unfortunately, despite vivid descriptions and a diverse cast of complex, fascinating, and relatable characters, including Black, queer, bisexual, and pansexual characters—particularly a queer Black British heroine—I had difficulty getting into the novel. Rosewater sometimes drags with slow pacing and is a heroine who is frustrating to root for, at times, because she’s a bit self-absorbed. It’s understandable to a certain degree because her life is a wreck, and she’s still searching and figuring out what she wants for her life. Besides, everyone has their breaking point, and Elsie has a LOT on her plate. And, because Elsie is so stubborn and set in her ways for such a young person, it’s not easy being in any relationship with her—friends, lovers, family, etc. Of course, the other parties are not exempt from their faults, failures, or wrongdoing. It’s just that Elsie doesn’t take the time to listen to the people in her life. At 28 years old, Elsie is a fiercely independent, funny, sexy, gifted, and talented British Guyanese poetess who works long hours for minimum wage at a neighborhood dive bar in South London. But her days are free to focus on writing her poetry, which allows her to express all that she finds hard to say, the thoughts and nightmares that keep her awake at night, and the feelings weighing heavy on her heart. Sometimes struggling daily with not finding a job, perpetual estrangement from her family because of who she is, and fearing never doing what she loves while earning a living becomes overwhelming for her. She represses her existential dread with a friends-with-benefits arrangement with her irresistible coworker, Bea, having casual sex with others, drinking, and getting high. Still, nothing keeps it at bay. Among Elsie’s most fundamental character traits is her determination to keep believing things will change for the better. But facing homelessness at being evicted from her social housing unexpectedly one morning almost breaks her. Because she has no one else to turn to and nowhere else to go, Elsie seeks the help of her estranged childhood friend, Juliet. Finally free to breathe after years of the oppressive weight of stress and worry, Elsie sinks into spending time renewing her friendship with Juliet. And as they smoke and hang out together watching favorite tv shows, Elsie’s deeply held feelings for Juliet slowly reach the surface. But will Elsie open her eyes and heart to see that what she’s been searching for has been right there this whole time before it’s too late? Free-spirited, kind, encouraging, sweet, supportive, generous, patient, and nonjudgmental, Juliet is a wonderful friend to Elsie. Still, she, herself, makes some poor choices. So, I must admire Elsie’s restraint in keeping her thoughts about them to herself—mostly. Juliet may be the one person Elsie gives the most space to be herself without becoming confrontational. I love Elsie and Juliet’s friendship and closeness. Their affection for each other is obvious, though they’ve been apart for a while. Being with her childhood friend Juliet comforts Elsie, making her feel safe enough to be herself and relax without worrying about where she will lay her head the next night. Elsie hasn’t had that in a long while. Although she and Juliet don’t always agree on everything, particularly how Elsie should manage her life and poetry career, Juliet is a calming influence on her most of the time. Juliet’s calming presence makes her feel safe to be herself and relax worry-free. But she’s so caught up in her head and busy distracting herself from her feelings that Elsie spends little to no time on much-needed self-reflection. So, she doesn’t deal with her issues or emotions, which affects her relationships. Elsie is a bit of an unreliable narrator because of her personality, which makes you wonder if having Juliet’s POV would make their romantic relationship development any less frustrating. But this is Elsie’s journey. Their romance is an agonizing slow burn, mostly on Elsie because of her self-absorption and obliviousness. Though both her and Juliet’s issues also create tension and barriers. Nevertheless, Juliet and Elsie’s interactions are funny, sweet, steamy, emotional, sexy, and angsty. The inclusion of poetry by Kai-Isaiah Jamal is a nice touch, contributing to Elsie’s character development and growth. Jamal’s poetry fits Elsie’s character and the story’s content, style, and stream of thought construction. Rosewater is a steamy, angsty, sexy, funny, and emotional dramatic fiction read that explores themes of homelessness, intergenerational love, friendship, healing, belonging, coming home, first love, family, queer identities, gender issues, and racial issues. Advanced review copy provided by Get Lifted Books via Netgalley for review.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com