Wink Poppy Midnight by April Genevieve Tucholke
Rating: ★★★
Wink, Poppy, Midnight was a weird twist of your basic contemporary young adult novel and a fantasy world, except I don't actually think they world was fantasy. I think it was our world, but the world building was so unclear I'm still a bit confused.
This book argues a couple really strong points. First, there is more to a person than the stereotype or category they fit into. Wink, Poppy, and Midnight are all labeled as various types of people, but, as we read on, we learn they are so much more than their labels. Their labels have actually shaped them in a negative way, leading them to become these fake people. Second, everyone is the hero of their own story. No one believes they are the bad guy. These three people, all caught up in the same story, are each the hero, but they are also each the villain. It all depends on whose perspective you read from.
A few spare thoughts: Wink Bell reminds me of Luna Lovegood from the Harry Potter series, but a little bit evil. The Bells in general reminded me of an slightly dark version of the Weasley family, red hair and all. This actually bothered me a bit, because it felt unoriginal. I loved Wink's smaller chapters at the beginning. I thought they reflected her character very well.
The things I really didn't enjoy about the book came in the second half. If you have already read the book, or don't plan on reading it, please see my slightly spoilery thoughts at the bottom.
Favorite Quotes:
"No one thinks they're shallow, ask every last person you know, they'll deny it, but I'm living proof, I get away with murder because I'm pretty" (14).
"'What's it like? What's it like growing up on a farm with a bunch of brothers and sisters an da mom that reads tarot cards?' She shrugged. 'Normal.' She paused for a second. 'Isn't your mom an author? What's it like to have a mother who makes up stories for a living?' I shrugged back at her. 'Normal'" (45).
"Leaf once told me that there was absolutely no difference between the Orphans' fairy tales and the nose on my face, because both were only as real as I thought they were" (71).
"Wink wasn't a villain. She wasn't a hero. People aren't just one thing. They never, ever are" (232).
SPOILERS
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The second half of the book felt extremely disjointed, and I wasn't really sure exactly what the rules of the world were. I didn't know if ghosts were real in this world, or not. I didn't have a clue one way or another, and to me this shows poor world construction. I also really did not enjoy how the second half of the book made light of children messing around with witchcraft, implying that, not only might it work, but it's no big deal if it does. This leads directly into my next complaint. Wink is an extremely disturbed, messed up kid who probably needs some psychological help and no one recognizes that. Midnight it just like "oh she did all this extremely disturbing stuff, but now that I know about it, I can get to know her for real, and we'll keep making out and live happily ever after, until I run off to France of course" (not a real quote).
