Louise Finch

Spence is quite a frustrating character. His obliviousness and subsequent complicity in the struggles of his female classmates can be infuriating. He really does need repeat after repeat after repeat of the same day to get what is happening right in front of his eyes. He’s a clueless, but generally well-meaning kid who is misogynistic almost by default just by going along with the culture he’s in and the friends he keeps. This is the whole point and his journey to being a less shitty person was done well despite the frustration. But the fact that these flaws of his are very grounded in mundane reality and he starts off so ignorant of them could make this an unappealing read for some.

The ending was both satisfying and unsatisfying. It was one of those where it had to happen — based on the themes and the progression of the story it fit perfectly — but you kind of wish it didn’t. Despite how Spence improves as a person and what he finally does to support the girls in his life, there have to be realistic consequences for who he was and how he used to behave.… (mer)