Reading Response #3: Lovely, Dark and Deep

     Here I am, still reading Lovely, Dark and Deep by Amy McNamara. Thus far, the main character, Wren, has moved in with her dad after getting in an accident which killed her boyfriend, Patrick. She suffered many emotional problems such as flashbacks and crying fits. She turned to poetry and running to try and cope with these issues. She has met a new boy named Cal, and after trying to shut him out, she decides to let him have a part in her life. She also had a friend named Mary, who was an intern with Wren's father, an artist. Mary has just finished her internship and moved away, being replaced by the new intern, Nick, who Wren finds completely repulsive. 

     Previously, Wren has been extremely depressed. She would get upset about something, and go on a two hour run through the woods alone, crying the entire time. But now, she's transformed into an almost-normal person. She still has smaller flashbacks, or gets caught up in memories, but for the most part, she's learning how to be happy again. It almost seems like she doesn't want to let herself be happy, but she is trying. Her father's intern, Mary plays a huge role in that. When Wren realizes that she is slowly becoming "normal" again, she says,

  "I hang up. Try to get my head together. My face is burning. I just had a conversation with a guy who likes me. A guy I like. I'm going shopping with Mary. Look at me. I'm a regular person" (page 117). 

     This passage is significant because it is when she realizes that maybe, just maybe, things might turn out okay. Wren's transformation from a sad, emotional person into an almost happy, not quite so emotional person makes me really happy. Her character was shaped by the people around her, as well as time. She does, however, like to go back and forth between being happy and being depressed still. It seems like she puts on a happy face in front of people, but deep down she's still broken. This drawing of a girl that is half happy, half sad reminds me of Wren. For every smile that she plasters on her face, there's an emotional breakdown. I think that Wren's true feelings and personality will be revealed soon (hopefully!). I'm looking forward to finishing the rest of the book.