Furthermore

“Why must you look like the rest of us? Why do you have to be the one to change? Change the way we see. Don't change the way you are.” ― Tahereh Mafi, Furthermore

3.5**** I am definitely guilty of judging Furthermore by its beautiful cover, and as soon as I saw it I knew I had to read it. This was my first time reading anything by Mafi, and though it was ultimately a good story, I am not sure it convinced me to try her other books. The reason for this, despite my four star rating for the book, is that it took me a long time to care much about the protagonist. This feels harsh, since the character in question is a twelve-year-old, but until about half-way through, I didn't think she was a terribly likable figure. There was a mixture of precociousness, helplessness and childish arrogance (admittedly not inappropriate in a child), which just took some getting used to. I would actually have liked to read more about her mother or Oliver, or even her father. That being said, I did eventually warm to her, and liked the way Mafi illustrated the development of Alice's and Oliver's friendship. The world-building was fairly good from Alice's perspective, but it was not a world I really wanted to dip my toes into. There was no explanation of much of anything beyond the colorful surface, and I wanted to know more. This book, for me, was not quite like, for example, Neil Gaiman's or Cornelia Funke's books, which are often geared towards children, but have a similar appeal for adults. Furthermore was a nice read, with a tidy, if rather hurried, ending. For adult readers, however, I think there was a lack in depth that would probably prevent me from returning, should this develop into a series. I don't want to end this review on a negative note, since it was most certainly not a bad book, just not quite as brilliantly colorful as the cover suggests.