Mosquitoland | David Arnold | Review

Mosquitoland | David Arnold | Review

• Wednesday, 9 March 2016

I have such mixed feelings about this book, I don't even know where to start. Mim sets off across America on a Greyhound road trip when her parents divorce and a new step mother comes into the picture. With only a few ambiguous letters and some stolen money, Mim makes a thousand-mile journey where she learns more about herself, her family and friendship than she could have ever hoped. 

Firstly, Mosquitoland has a strong theme of mental illness and I feel it tackled the topic really well, without being overwhelming and bordering on being a "topic book." There is a slight trigger warning for sexual assault and suicide but whilst being touched upon throughout the book, they aren't a major aspect to the storyline. 

I liked the way the book was written, although it felt very quirky and try-hard at times. It felt very John Green-esque to me and whilst I love his unique style, I felt this book was too similar in its descriptions. 

"I am a collection of oddities, a circus of neurons and electrons: my heart is the ringmaster, my soul is the trapeze artist, and the world is my audience. It sounds strange because it is, and it is, because I am strange."

I felt myself losing interest around half way and that interest didn't really pick back up until the very end, when I was just glad to be finished to be entirely honest. I didn't hate the book, definitely not. It just didn't seem to gel with me as well as I felt it should have. This is the type of book that I can see having a huge impact on someone else's life and meaning so much to them, but to me, that element was missing. 

I was looking for a fun road trip book that would offer me some escapism and this book fulfilled its purpose. I would recommend reading a couple of other reviews over on Goodreads such as this one or this one, if you're not too sure on this book, as I'm sure plenty of other people loved it but sadly, it wasn't for me.