The Fussy Stuff
Title: Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus
Author: Dusti Bowling
Format: eBook
Genre: Fiction, Mystery
Quick Take: A thoughtful, character-driven middle-grade novel with excellent disability representation and heart, just focus on the voice, not the plot.
My Take
I am torn on this book. This is one that I abandoned and went to read something else. And yet, I did actually pick it up again and finish it – something I (despite telling myself differently) almost never do.
I’m going to go with the old trope of a pros and cons list to help me wrap my head around this one.
Pros:
- Strong, kick ass female protagonist
- Great messages about being your true self, overcoming difficult circumstances, and the power of friendship
- Wonderful depiction of disabilities, especially about the range of feelings people can have about their own abilities and identities as a person who has a disability
Cons:
- There is no plot. Ok, that might be overstating things a bit, but I distinctly remember getting poor marks on my submission in my Creative Writing 101 class because my story lacked conflict and causality. I think this had a similar issue – the conflict that was eventually solved isn’t a problem that the protagonist actually had.
- Note: to be very clear, I am in no way equating my terrible terrible story submission to this talented, fantastic book and author. I think my story was about somebody who couldn’t fall asleep at night – I imagine the teacher was already being much kinder to me than I deserved…
- There is some inconsistencies in voice that really bugged me, there were times when Aven was saying things that seemed truly out of character with how she had spoken in the past and her abilities.
There is no world in which I would discourage someone from reading this book. We would all benefit from hearing more joyful voices of people who are different than us. Take this book as an opportunity to peek inside the mind of an inspiring young woman and learn about her and her friends. And be satisfied with that.
In terms of reading this with my kid, I think he is still a bit too young yet. But I wouldn’t be surprised to find myself pulling this out for him in a couple years. And at that point, I reserve the right to change my mind on everything I have said above.
Unfussed Verdict
Worth reading for the voice, themes, and representation alone, but I’d suggest this is best approached as a slice-of-life story rather than a mystery that builds meaningful tension, despite how it is marketed.
Unfussed Homework (Optional, Obviously)
This book falls more on my “should read” side of the spectrum rather than the “want to read” side.
Your homework this week is to pause and think about the book you’re reading right now. Where does it fall on that scale? Based on what’s going on in your life, is this a book you should keep working through right now?
The Unfussed Reader 
Leave a comment