Reviewed by lizarodz on
The story is told from the first person point of view, alternating between Honor and Toby. I always enjoy this format because it allows for a better insight of the characters. Honor is very uptight, uncomfortable around people and with the way they react to her looks. She has been a model for years and is conscious of how people treat her after that fact is known. Toby is a shy, mildly nerdy and an awesome guy. He falls by accident in the tornado that is Libby and he quickly learns to care for both girls deeply. It was very easy to guess what was wrong with Libby and I wasn’t surprised at all.
Now, on to Sawyer. Sawyer is an artist and Honor’s ‘painter’; he is handsome, talented and very… intense. That’s the best word I can find to describe him. He is a great guy, but a bit scary if I want to be honest. Other characters are minor and not explored nearly as much as Sawyer and our circle of friends.
The plot is easy to follow and original. The story deals with intense feelings and delicate topics, such as mental illness, homosexuality, and hate crimes, but it’s not preachy. The writing was clean and eloquent and I’m curious to know who the writing partnership worked. The book starts very funny and progresses to be ‘jumpy’ and erratic, to match Libby’s behavior and the feelings that it provokes in Toby and Honor.
There were two things that I didn’t find believable. The first one was that no one figured out that something was seriously wrong with Libby. I mean, no teachers (and I doubt that she was getting good grades), if I were her mom I would be visiting at least twice a month. The second one was that Libby, Toby and Honor became such good friends, to the point that they were almost dependent of each other very quickly; the main part of the story takes place in a span of about three months. Please note that the story contains language and sexual references.
Overall, 3 Sides to a Circle was a great read and I will definitely look for more books about these authors.
Quotes for you:
“You didn’t even have to tell me the room number. Just follow the nose, it always knows!” she sings…
“…We’ve come to move Toby out, because you smell like… Body odor just doesn’t cover it.” Libby shakes her head and step inside.”
“I’d do almost anything for Toby or Libby – even though she makes me crazy. But what does that make the three of us? Odd parts of a circle?” – Honor
“I’ll make myself worth keeping. I’ll be the anchor for you” – Toby
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 9 March, 2013: Finished reading
- 9 March, 2013: Reviewed