Review of ‘London undone’ by Nan Higgins
From what I can see, this appears to be a lesbian debut novel. I have to say, I really enjoyed Higgins’s writing style and voice and am very much looking forward to what she comes out with next!
‘London undone’ is a bit unorthodox in that it’s not really a romance novel, and I like that. Yes, there’s a lesbian romance a the heart of this one, but the story itself is more about the main character’s journey as London gets hit with a series of horrible issues. London thinks she has it all worked out – a thriving business, a set of chosen friends who are more like family, and a 6-year relationship with the love of her life, but one by one these things start to crumble around her.
The story is told in first point of view, which normally isn’t my favorite choice, but it really works here. The reader lives the highs and lows right along with London. At one particular scene, I even found myself fighting tears – and I NEVER cry when reading books or watching movies!
My biggest complaint with this one is that it felt like Higgins may have tried to put too much into one book. There’s issue piled on top of issues for London, and instead of focusing on one major theme, there’s a whole bunch of themes thrown in all at once for her to deal with. It’s well written, but I almost wish that Higgins had focused on a few less major points instead of throwing in the entire kitchen sink. It was all going very well for me though until she threw in one particular issue. That just took things over the edge for me personally to feel like it was too much for one novel.
Trigger warning – There is a hate crime against a trans character in this story. It is not graphic, but it is very heartbreaking and could possibly be a trigger for some. Make sure to have tissues handy for that scene. All in all, though, this was a very solid novel and I am very much looking forward to Higgins’ next offering! 4 stars.
Many thanks to Bold Strokes for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
