A review by nicole_bookmarked
What's Not Mine by Nora Decter

dark hopeful informative medium-paced
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

Set in the town of Beauchamp (which could easily be any small hockey-crazed town in North America), "What's Not Mine" brings to life the gritty realities of living in a place where the beauty of nature collides with the harshness of life. Think caterpillar threads and mosquitoes in summer, bears rummaging through dumpsters, and seasons defined by either too much cold or too much heat.

The story centers around 16-year-old Bria Powers, whose existence is entangled with the complexities of family - an aunt struggling to hold things together, cousins who look up to her, a boyfriend who's way too old for her, a mother lost to addiction, and a father who deals drugs.

Decter doesn't shy away from the harsh realities of drug abuse in small towns – from fake Percs to Oxys cut with fentanyl, painting a picture of a community grappling with loss and addiction. The narrative doesn't dwell on the darkness; it's also about resilience and finding hope in a family that is both broken and bonded by adversity.