I’m not sure I’ve read a more vivid or illuminating representation of a late diagnosed autistic woman in literature. While I wish there was a lot more representation, I don’t want to see it badly done. I would like to see more representation like this.
I found Cassandra’s plight relatable as a woman who didn’t discover her own neurodivergence until my late thirties, well into a marriage and mothering two little ones.
I appreciate that the love that takes center stage by the end of this book is less about romance and more about the love and relationships we have with siblings and roommates and coworkers and how life giving love from those sources can be when not cast down or overshadowed by the “love of your life.”
I love all the mythology references. If you didn’t I’m sorry, not sorry. Read more.
Cassandra In Reverse celebrates a woman in her own right as she is. This book confronts the narrative that romantic love is the love to seek out and find one’s sole purpose in as a woman, to the sacrifice of all else. It instead encourages the narrative that woman are entire human beings with their own careers, interests, and relationships outside of romance that are worthwhile and life giving regardless of their romantic relationship status.