SuitabookInfandous
Elana K. Arnold
- Reading
- Before reading, discuss the fairy-tale comparison and agree that the reader can pause around sexual or mature material. Afterwards, invite reflection on secrecy, appearance and whether Sephora gains control of her narrative.
- Themes
- Making an identity: Sephora wants the story of her life to be her own rather than simply part of her mother's fairy tale. The premise places personal authorship and independence at the centre, but the ending does not establish whether she achieves them.
- Appearance and reality: Sephora lives in the shadow of her exceptionally beautiful mother, while a hidden secret complicates the family's fairy-tale image. The book leaves its stance open to more than one reading.
- Family closeness and silence: Sephora and her mother have always been unusually close, yet Sephora believes she cannot tell her mother what she has discovered. The book does not clearly resolve its stance on this.
- Worth knowing
- The book includes profanity, sexual situations and mature themes, alongside a secret described as horrible and unspeakable. A parent may wish to check whether this level of intensity fits the individual reader before beginning.