Joséphine's Review of A Semi-Definitive List of Worst Nightmares

by Krystal Sutherland

From the author of Our Chemical Hearts comes the hilarious, reality-bending tale of two outsiders facing their greatest fears about life and love—one debilitating phobia at a time.

Ever since Esther Solar’s grandfather was cursed by Death, everyone in her family has been doomed to suffer one great fear in their lifetime. Esther’s father is agoraphobic and hasn’t left the basement in six years, her twin brother can’t be in the dark without a light on, and her mother is terrified of bad luck.

The Solars are consumed by their fears and, according to the legend of the curse, destined to die from them.

Esther doesn’t know what her great fear is yet (nor does she want to), a feat achieved by avoiding pretty much everything. Elevators, small spaces and crowds are all off-limits. So are haircuts, spiders, dolls, mirrors and three dozen other phobias she keeps a record of in her semi-definitive list of worst nightmares.

Then Esther is pickpocketed by Jonah Smallwood, an old elementary school classmate. Along with her phone, money and a fruit roll-up she’d been saving, Jonah also steals her list of fears. Despite the theft, Esther and Jonah become friends, and he sets a challenge for them: in an effort to break the curse that has crippled her family, they will meet every Sunday of senior year to work their way through the list, facing one terrifying fear at a time, including one that Esther hadn’t counted on: love.

October 25, 2017

My full book review is up on Word Revel.

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October 22, 2017

Initial thoughts: Krystal Sutherland did it again. She wrote another book that made me cry. As expected, A Semi-Definitive List of Worst Nightmares was at times difficult to read. Books that deal with mental illnesses always are and this book doesn't chronicle the struggles of one character but those of an entire family. Sutherland did that with finesse, showing the dark sides, while also weaving in strands of hope.

The relationship between the twins was intense and filled with love. Esther's best friend, Hephzibah, had her own life to deal with but showed up whenever Esther needed her. Jonah was annoying at first, but with each layer that came off, he proved to be a good person.

An interesting but odd character was Death, also a man. His appearances edged A Semi-Definitive List of Worst Nightmares towards magical realism. You never really knew if he was part of a made-up story, if he was imagined or real in some ways.

I wish some parts of this book hadn't been left unresolved but at the end of the day, this book was about Esther facing her fears. What became of others mattered but wasn't necessarily the focus, so it made sense how things ended, which left me with a smile and the belief that things can be better if we're not afraid to seek the help we need when we need it.

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Note: I received a finished copy from a local distributor in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

A Semi-Definitive List of Worst Nightmares

by Krystal Sutherland

Reviewed by Joséphine on Oct 22, 2017

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