Amore E Altri Effetti Collaterali (2014) - Plot & Excerpts
It is the beauty of flaws that makes you.This line isn't in the actual story, but is the last line in the first paragraph of the acknowledgements. I never read those, but I did for some reason, and this line? This is the story. Alice is flawed. First physically by cancer, and then, or maybe always, mentally by life and circumstances. Harvey, while seemingly not flawed, is also. But in much different and less drastic ways. He loves Alice despite her flaws and she...well does she love him. Or really, CAN she love him? Her flaws are harder to stomach. They are obvious and they are big. She isn't nice, but she is caring. She's all kinds of contradictions. Aren't we all?This is the story of these two high school kids, dealing with high school stuff. Heavy high school stuff. They will make it through this, like we all do, but the story revolves around what they will look like on the other side. I wish I could say that I liked this book, but I feel sort of indifferent about it. I read Zac & Mia just before reading this so I've been on a teen cancer kick and both of these books left me not feeling bad for all teens involved. In Side Effects May Very, the story is told from both Alice and Harvey's perspectives in Then and Now terms as in during Alice's bout with cancer and her after where she's now in remission. Alice has very few redeeming qualities and I cannot understand how Harvey has been in love with her for most of his life. Even at the end you're left wondering how much more can this guy put up with?!? And I couldn't help but feel like the old saying of be kind to people on the way up was lost on Alice because she sure got what she deserved in the end! If you want to hate a character who has cancer give this a shot.
What do You think about Amore E Altri Effetti Collaterali (2014)?
The book was just perfect. I could imagine everything in my head as I was reading it.
—gellovesel
