ARC Review: Skyscraping by Cordelia Jensen

Skycraping
by Cordelia Jensen
Published by Philomel Books
Paperback (won in a giveaway)
YA, LGBT, contemporary

A heartrending, bold novel in verse about family, identity, and forgiveness

Mira is just beginning her senior year of high school when she discovers her father with his male lover. Her world–and everything she thought she knew about her family–is shattered instantly. Unable to comprehend the lies, betrayal, and secrets that–unbeknownst to Mira–have come to define and keep intact her family’s existence, Mira distances herself from her sister and closest friends as a means of coping. But her father’s sexual orientation isn’t all he's kept hidden. A shocking health scare brings to light his battle with HIV. As Mira struggles to make sense of the many fractures in her family's fabric and redefine her wavering sense of self, she must find a way to reconnect with her dad–while there is still time. 

Told in raw, exposed free verse, Skyscraping reminds us that there is no one way to be a family.

Honestly, I was taken a back when I got Skyscraping in my hands and found it it's written in verse. I don't read poems or anything written in verse, it's just not my cup of tea. But I had been waiting for Skyscraping ever since I heard about it, the author was so nice and friendly, and I really yearned to read it. So I thought: I'll give it a try, it can't be bad even if it's different than prose. I'm so glad I decided that, because I fell in love with Skyscraping - every aspect of it. Truthfully, it's best as it is right now; written in verse, somehow it makes it more emotionally, more beautiful, more everything. Skyscraping became one of my favourite books, one to be treasured - and because of it, I might read more book written in verse in the future.

After reading the blurb I was sure Skyscraping is going to be bold and it's going to hurt - it's about a girl who finds out her parents have an open marriage, her father have a male lover and finally, her father have HIV. All of this shatters Mira's identity and makes her question everything. Maybe especially so since the book takes place in 1993 and 1994, when the world was less accepting than it's nowadays. It's bold, in every sense of the word, and I loved every heart-wrenching moment. I fell in love with the characters, how every one of them had their own voice, how their lives fit together and how they defined a family: it's more than just parents and their children. Mira's struggle with her identity and her journey towards forgiveness is wonderful journey to follow and I feel blessed to get to read it. Mira goes through such character development, and reader can see it and feel it: how her identity shatters, how she's lost and doesn't know what to do and what not, and how she finally finds herself and her family again. It's beautiful, it's full of emotions and it's brilliant.

I just have to praise the characters a little bit more. April was my favourite, hands down, because I could identify with her the most. However, I did end up liking Mira a lot even though there was a moment when I almost lost my faith in her. Mira's mother and father, James, and Dylan were all characters I liked really much, and besides them there was some truly brilliant characters like Gloria, and some I didn't really like but they were well crafted nonetheless. They all felt real, and that's the most important thing in characters. They were so real it hurt.

Skyscraping is a powerful story, as well as an important one: it should be read by many people from all ages. It teaches truly important lesson: there's more than one type of family. Jensen's novel is sharp, powerful and brilliant, and for a debut, it's an amazing accomplishment. 

If it's not clear yet, I highly recommend Skyscraping to everyone. It's a novel you just need to read and live through.

5 of 5 stars.

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