Book Review - Unbecoming by Jenny Downham

Unbecoming

Author: Jenny Downham

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Fiction. 

Published: September 3 2015

Pages: 437 pages (Paperback) (David Flicking Books)

Read: October 2015

Rating: 5 Stars

Three women - three secrets - one heart-stopping story.Katie, seventeen, in love with someone whose identity she can't reveal.Her mother Caroline, uptight, worn out and about to find the past catching up with her.Katie's grandmother, Mary, back with the family after years of mysterious absence and 'capable of anything', despite suffering from Alzheimers.As Katie cares for an elderly woman who brings daily chaos to her life, she finds herself drawn to her. Rules get broken as allegiances shift. Is Mary contagious? Is 'badness' genetic?In confronting the past, Katie is forced to seize the present. As Mary slowly unravels and family secrets are revealed, Katie learns to live and finally dares to love.Funny, sad, honest and wise, Unbecoming is a celebration of life, and learning to honour your own stories.

Book 45/60 - 2015 Goodreads Reading Challenge

Unbecoming is one of those books that are just so beautiful they leave you speechless and want to talk non-stop all at the same time. But what do I say that will do this book justice, that is the question. 

Unbecoming is a book about a teenage girl, Katie and the way her life has changed for the worse all because of something that she did. But then along comes her grandmother who she never even knew was alive and suddenly Katie's eyes open up and a heartwrenching, moving story unfolds from there on involving three generations of women, Katie, her mother Caroline and her grandmother Mary.

This story was just so touching as we piece together the lives of each of the three women and how their lives interweave as the story comes to an end. 

Out of all the characters,  my favourite had to be Mary. I literally fell in love with this woman and her story. But I also loved Katie too and the relationship she had with Mary. Caroline grew on me aswell as did many of the characters that I had bad feelings about at the start.

I am still sitting here at a loss of words. How can I describe how beautiful this book was, how moving, without spoiling anything in the novel. It is really a difficult thing to do so all I'm going to say is, this book was amazing. 

If you liked the novel 'I'll Give You The Sun' by Jandy Nelson then 'Unbecoming' by Jenny Downham is just the novel for you. Pick it up, seriously, you will not regret it and besides that beautiful cover is just calling to you!