Review by Tevanchick -- Elastic Girl by Olivia Rana

[Tevanchick]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Elastic Girl" by Olivia Rana.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Review: Elastic Girl by Olivia Rana

Elastic Girl by Olivia Rana tells the story of Muthu, a young girl in India who joins the circus to help her family living in poverty. Muthu is considered a curse to her family and is compared to her older, prettier, and educated sisters. After an accident involving almost drowning and escaping through a small drainpipe, the town learns how amazingly flexible Muthu is. Her father takes her to the circus to become a contortionist so she can finally make her family proud and get them out of poverty.

Muthu is eager to become a star and dedicates all of her time to perfecting her skills. She soon learns that the circus is not the magical place that she had dreamed of but rather a sketchy place full of dark secrets. Muthu endures pain, humiliation, and sexual abuse throughout her years living with the circus but with the help of her friend Gloria, she overcomes these obstacles to find her place in the world.

I found myself drawn to the tragic nature of this story. The gloomy overall tone mixed with the magical elements of circus life and fame were a perfect balance of light and dark which I found to be enjoyable. While there were very dark themes including rape, drug addiction, and a brutal death, they were sprinkled with adventure and humor. Muthu is a strong main character and her growth throughout the story was fascinating.

Another element of this book I enjoyed was getting to know so much about India and the culture. The author seems very well researched and as the reader I feel like I learned about a wide variety of topics including marriage, food, music, and education. Many elements of the story make it seem like it could take place in the past century but is actually set in modern day India. Without modern references such as the mention of current actress Priyanka Chopra, it feels like it could fit into any time period.

I would recommend this book to young adults and anyone who enjoys stories about strong main characters who overcome difficult obstacles. I would not recommend this to young readers because of some of the mature themes. Overall I gave this book a rating of 4 out of 4 stars. I felt an array of emotions while reading which is what I look for in a book. I also did not find any grammatical errors. This book is a life lesson to keep pushing through and find what truly makes you happy in life and I highly recommend it.

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Elastic Girl
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