RaveThe RumpusIn this engaging work of autofiction, Yanow has scrubbed clean the messiness of memory—the things that one romanticizes, mutates, or hides are laid bare here ... This is a familiar quest in American culture—coming of age through travel being a path into adulthood, if one has a choice to do so in their early twenties. Sophie does have this option, and goes to Paris; it is in the depiction of her decisions abroad that make The Contradictions so compelling a read ... It’s refreshing to read a coming-of-age story that centers so completely on female friendships—especially the friendships that don’t work out ... you’ll want to lay on the couch all day and read The Contradictions in one sitting.
