The Vet's Daughter - NYRB Classics | Heartwarming Coming-of-Age Novel | Perfect for Book Clubs & Literary Fiction Lovers

This is a terrific novel, no question about it. It is short but dense with detailed observations by an acute albeit hugely inexperienced narrator. She is frustratingly accepting of her various fates, and yet also admirably watching out for her own interests. Thus, like all the characters, she is complex.On the other hand, there are evil beings herein, who may even outdo Dickens in that department. The narrator is a female David Copperfield, but with some decided twists that make the novel quite unDickensian in the end.In fact, the literal end(ing) almost undoes the whole novel, in my opinion. (SPOILER ALERT. The following comments might "give away" the ending a bit.) Besides a different trajectory from what a Dickens reader would expect, as well as what nature herself would allow -- so far so good, though -- a downright sin is that the very ending simply makes no sense with regard to the narrative structure of the book.Nevertheless, as I say, the novel is a must-read for anyone who loves good writing and truly gripping narrative.