Member Review

Look At You by Amanda Smyth is a moving and emotionally vivid book that unfolds through a series of interconnected stories. It centres on a young white narrator growing up between Trinidad and England, navigating a divided family and a complex world. Smyth’s taut, lean prose brings the journey of self-discovery to life with sharp insight and empathy, exploring themes of identity, race, gender, and expectation.

Though short, this book is brilliant in its depth and feeling. I liked to think of it as one long flashback reflecting on the narrator’s life and the people she met along the way. The story felt true to life, sometimes joyful, sometimes tragic, but always compelling. Smyth’s writing is what made it so touching for me.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.