December reads

First, this is an incredible story because the author, Katie, should not have even survived that accident – she was literally run over by a semi. Her recovery and bravery through it all is amazing.
It was original in its structure as it is not chronological but by theme per chapter. Because of it, it is sometimes confusing about the timeline and leads to some rambling too.

I read a review talking about the privileges in the book and how they were not recognized or even mentioned at all. I agree with this as you can’t help but wonder how much did this all cost and how was she able to keep her New York apartment during/after months in the hospital – all while her family was also able to visit and care for her all day every single day. As someone who doesn’t have a lot of money, I personally was stressed about her bills the whole time I was reading and it would have been nice to know how this was never a worry for her. My biggest complaint is about all the missing elements: the truck driver, Gisele, but also how was she able to recover that much more than expected? I felt we skipped through a lot of interesting subjects.

It was a cool, quick and interesting read and I listened to it as an audiobook read by the author which I always like to do. It wasn’t groundbreaking but it was a snapshot of the #metoo era, the systemic misogyny full of cultural references. It felt like a discussion with a friend.

I choose to read this one out of pure nostalgia. Sanya, who had the perfect life, had a full-on breakdown and to help her get better, her husband suggests a one-year expatriation to the happiest country in the world… my beloved Denmark. Needless to say we didn’t experience the exact same Copenhagen as they are full of money and I was a student lol. However, I loved all the references, especially those I had lived myself. The story itself, I couldn’t buy the ending at all, but it gave me what I wanted, a little piece of Copenhagen again.