![Starfish by Akemi Dawn Bowman](https://i0.wp.com/baneslibraries.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/3-1.png?fit=188%2C300&ssl=1)
Our Rating:
Library Formats:
eBook
Age Group:
Older Young Adult
Genre:
coming of age, self discovery
Kiko Himura has always had a hard time saying exactly what she’s thinking. With a mother who makes her feel unremarkable and a half-Japanese heritage she doesn’t quite understand, Kiko prefers to keep her head down, certain that once she makes it into her dream art school, Prism, her real life will begin.
But then Kiko doesn’t get into Prism, at the same time her abusive uncle moves back in with her family. So, when she receives an invitation from her childhood friend to leave her small town and tour art schools on the west coast, Kiko jumps at the opportunity in spite of the anxieties and fears that attempt to hold her back.
And now that she is finally free to be her own person outside the constricting walls of her home life, Kiko learns life-changing truths about herself, her past, and how to be brave.
First, the representation for Anxiety in Starfish was just… very well done. I have an anxiety disorder and finding stories with main characters in that have anxiety with great representation is a massive struggle. Some of the topics within the novel (sexual abuse, suicide) can make it a heavy and hard-hitting read at times but I simply cannot deny how much I really enjoyed reading about Kiko’s life and how she battled with her worries and having a passion for art.
Because of the anxiety rep, I found it easy to connect to Kiko as a character. The California setting was something I also enjoyed reading about since I would love to visit there at some point in the future! One of the insights about Kiko which really opened my eyes as a reader were the various points within the story which said, ‘What I want to say’ and ‘What I actually say’, this in my personal life I can really relate to a lot. The pacing was even with plot twists that I didn’t expect.