There was this moment, about halfway through the book where she explains to her ghost friend, Margarrite, that the girl she’s watching is her illegitimate daughter she had with a Chinese man and there was no tension to the reveal. She had a heart to her character that I really was hoping would go somewhere, but all of her character beats never hit the mark. She had slight connections, but nothing that really kept her tethered to the plot in any meaningful way, which is kind of a travesty. She had exciting sections here and there, but it felt as if… I dunno, like she didn’t really fit into the story most of the time. Frankie’s story was so well developed, all of the side characters bring a life to her world, that in contrast Pearl felt very flat in the narrative. It may work functionally, but the feel is all wrong. There were sections that seemed to link better than others, but overall I felt like Pearl’s inclusion in the story was a little like mismatched socks.

And then I would read Pearl’s sections and feel so distracted by the story at hand. I would be at home and looking forward to Frankie’s story, because I wanted to know more about her and her life, and if she would leave the orphanage, and if she would fall in love, and if she would find a home in her family. I had so many conflicting feelings while reading this book.

The cultural aspects of historic Chicago were as true as they were heart breaking, and I loved the way Ruby portrayed it. The writing was lovely, truly wonderful and I felt like I was in the world while reading. I just… I don’t know why that bothered me so much with this book and not with The Book Thief, but here we are. Oh my god, I was so annoyed with the narrator being the ghost.

Thirteen doorways wolves