Review: The Minnow

The Minnow by Diana Sweeney
Publisher: Text Publishing
Release Date: May 28th, 2014
Source: Netgalley
Date Read: 12/23/14 to 12/25/14
256 Pages
Rating: ✰✰✰✰

Tom survived a devastating flood that claimed the lives of her sister and parents. Now she lives with Bill in his old shed by the lake. But it’s time to move out—Tom is pregnant with Bill’s baby.

Jonah lets her move in with him. Mrs Peck gives her the Fishmaster Super Series tackle box. Nana is full of gentle good advice and useful sayings.

And in her longing for what is lost, Tom talks to fish: Oscar the carp in the pet shop, little Sarah catfish who might be her sister, an unhelpful turtle in a tank at the maternity ward. And the minnow.

The Minnow is a moving and powerful coming of age story with a whimsical element that belies the heartbreaking truth of grief and loss. Tom is a character you will never forget.

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I received The Minnow from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. Also, be ready for a Finding Nemo filled post muhahaha.

So, The Minnow, I liked it a lot. I did. The descriptive and poetic writing really pulled through to me (I seem to be reading a lot of these "purpley prose" bookies lately. That is what they are called right? Kelly?) but it was also really confusing at some points.

Gah, you see this, The Minnow is complicated to rate because I liked the characters a lot, and the writing, but it was just so hard to piece what was happening together. The main character, Tom, a girl, lost her parents and sister to a flood. In addition to that, she's also pregnant (and it kind of hints that it's rape). The story starts with her living with her best friend, Jonah, and her visiting her Nana at the nursing home.

Even though Tom has gone through a lot, it doesn't drag her down that much. 

But then again, she is talking to ghosts, and fish. And no this isn't some sort of paranormal novel, it's just her losing her mind. Or so I think? I'm actually very convinced that she does see all these people that she talks to, but that's up to further discussion.

Oh, and the most important little character, the one the book is named after? The baby, otherwise known as by Tom as the Minnow. You know how mothers bond with their baby by talking to them before they're born? This is kind of what's happening here, butttttttt the Minnow talks back.

No, but seriously, there is one point in the book where Jonah, the gay best friend, exclaims that he hears the Minnow speaking, and he thought Tom was making it all up because she's pregnant. But nope? Hm. 

Yes, but by the way, there is LGBTQ here! Even though it's on the side. 

As you can see, I'm still slightly confused at what is actually going on. Are there actually ghosts? Or is it just Tom's imagination? Some events make me think otherwise. The writing is incredibly dense, plus flashbacks occur with no warning. Basically, it is very hard to differentiate what is happening in the past and the present. However, I could still understand the general idea of what was going on.

Overall, yes it was a beautiful book. I felt emotionally attached to Tom and her Nana, and Jonah and even Jonathan. This is what really motivated to keep on reading, even though the writing was at times very confusing, and plus the plot itself is very interesting. FISH, FLOODS, MINNOWS, well one minnow. But still, I can't even bring myself to rate this a 3.5, because I really liked the characters. I definitely recommend The Minnow to readers who like the writing of Maggie Stiefvater!