Unbecoming by Jenny Downham

Unbecoming by Jenny Downham
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I read this Stonewall Award winner book as part of the 2017 Hub Challenge and oh did I love reading about this family - 3 women a grandmother, mother & daughter (Katie) come together when Katie's grandmother turns up (suffering with dementia) after her long time boyfriend dies suddenly. I could not put this book down as the reader follows Katie as she discovers & loves this grandmother she never knew, traverses the rough high school climate of mean girls (when she kisses her best friend) and deals with her special needs brother as her angry mother tries to find housing for the mother she holds so much against. I have read & loved all the other 2 Jenny Downham books and this book was gripping, fascinating, and painful (but hopeful &redemptive) as Katie's journey takes her back thru her grandmother's life & also her mother's. Katie is a strong narrator who compelled me to turn the pages with her insights, her fancies, and her honesty. Downham's portrayal of dementia was insightful as well as the double edged sword of rule following (by both Beth and Katie's mom, and Katie herself). LOVED this book.

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