Book Review: The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender, by Leslye Walton

..children betrayed their parents by becoming their own people.

A story so strange it is about a girl born with wings from a mother who have a strong sense of smell and a twin brother who refuses to speak if not for only important matters. They live in a house said to be haunted by the spirit of a young Portuguese girl together with their grandmother who can see her dead siblings, all carrying the pain of love. Is it a story about love, or the loss of it? Is it a story about a family? Is it a horror story masquerading as a tragedy? One must read it to find out.

It was a surprising thing to find a book that start its own chapters with stories so heart-breaking and haunting to be enjoyable, but enjoyable it did. The more I read the more it became clear to me that the haunting feeling lingers throughout the whole book. I enjoyed the air of mystery breathing through the story and the characters. What annoys me is that strange ominous feelings that emerge halfway through the book, it made you feel like something bad was going to happened and it reminded of when I read The Magician’s Lie.

Don’t ever worry of getting bored with the book, because although the build-up was steady, it is not to say that it’s slow and boring. If anything, the author always left enough hint at the end of the chapter that keeps you wanting to read more chapters. Things are picking about 5 chapters into the ending. It was moving so fast that if this book ever adapted into the movie, I believe that was the climax that the viewers are waiting for.

Such a unique bunch of characters. I can’t say I have one specific characters, because most of the characters were unique and memorable in their own way. Although a certain John Griffiths came to mind; gosh I hate that character. What a bloody waste of air, but ironically he is the most common type of people you’ll ever get to meet in your lifetime. There’s plenty of John Griffiths for everyone in this world.

I’m getting the feeling that this book wanted to tell a story about love and how it destroyed those who lost it along the way, but the part where the author mentioned about children betraying their parents by becoming their own people shook me the most. To be fair, I think there was only one chapter where the said topic was covered, but I kept on going back to that one specific quote. And when I look back, I sort of found the connection amongst the characters and the quote. Parents create the life they deem to be best for their children, and children grew up deciding their own path is the ultimate betrayal towards their parents. I found something romantic in the ways that a child decides their own course of life that is seen as some sort of betrayal by their parents. I feel a certain amount of comforts that I my acts of betrayal to my parents were just my deliberate decisions in becoming my own person.

If you are a fan of fantasy story with a certain amount of mystery, I suggest that you give this book a try. This book has so much to offer more than just its fair share of love stories and fantasies; it is also a story of survival and resilience and coping with loss. It’s a beautiful story, the kind that you read while there’s a raging storm outside.