Cynically Sweet (Booklikes)

I received a free eBook ARC version in return for an honest review. Though, for a novella (only 32 pages, according to Goodreads), I admit that it took me far too long to read; my fault. I didn't keep track of how long it took me to read the entire thing, so it could be much less time than I imagine. I think the main problem is that I just don't know what to say in this review. It's one of those stories that I just don't know how to explain what I feel about it, nor can I summarise my feelings in a succinct manner.

The story begins with Ina, a young woman who is in hospital. Her story is sad, even moreso now that her legs are gone. As we find out more about her life, we find out about the accident and the events that led up to it. For a while, her thoughts have been plagued by characters who only visit her. In fact, one of those characters visited her the night of the accident and led her to it. Through the story, Ina begins healing. Not only the wounds where her legs used to be, but she also gets committed to a new hospital to help her heal her mind.

I don't always like novella/ serials/ short stories (whatever you want to define this book as), mostly because not all authors know how to plan and present things in a small page count. That being said, not all authors are great are doing it in a long page count either. However, I digress. I think that the author, Anne Michaud, has presented the story reasonably well. The story is told in Ina's point of view and I feel like the plot of the story basically follows her thoughts on the matter, how she feels about each event happening to her and what she's done. Though this type of story telling method doesn't always work for those who try it, I think it works reasonably well here because of Ina's fractured mental state. Being that she's the one telling the story, she looks back on things, doesn't censor her thoughts and we get a lot of personal opinion as well. Going on with that point, I think the characters work well in the way the story is told. You can feel that many of the characters mean well and are genuinely trying to help Ina, even if she doesn't want them to help. Though, at the same time, I can see that not all of them really understand Ina's feelings or reasons either. It's kind of heartbreaking to read about Ina's pain and her guilt on the pain she has caused to other people. At the same time, it's also saddening because I can see that she doesn't intend to upset or annoy other people.

I somewhat enjoyed this story. I think that it has an interesting premise and I have not read anything quite like this before. While it is somewhat based in reality, with Ina's visions explained by mental illness, I like the way that the author has sort of also left it open as a somewhat paranormal novel and it could also be thought of as if ghosts and ghouls really are visiting her. The characters are interesting and I feel like Ina and many of the background characters' actions or feelings are understandable. Overall, it's a great piece. It's haunting, dark and thought-provoking. I rate it four and half stars, marked up to five for originality.