Fine, I’m A Terrible Person
Lisa F. Rosenberg
January 9, 2025 Sibylline Press
274 Pages
Never has reading a book garnered so many nonsensical passerby comments than Lisa F. Rosenberg’s Fine, I’m A Terrible Person. Although this is a digital first release, I was reading the physical book, and people just couldn’t stop themselves. To be clear, these were not people who read the book, or even had any idea what was in it. They were commenting on the title. Which they universally found objectionable. Most assumed the reference to a terrible person meant the book was full of questionable, or even criminal, activity. Which struck me as odd given the innocuous image right under the title, but as I learned through reading, the cover copy and press release hadn’t given me any ability to predict the plot either.
The title refers to a phrase that one the two main characters, Aurora, uses every time her daughter Leyla brings up a question or complaint about Aurora’s destructive and manipulative behaviors. Aurora is not one for self reflection, so she just brushes Leyla off with a “fine, I’m a terrible person,” in the hopes that this sarcastic admission of guilt will absolve her from having to deal with the matter further and allow her to return to extorting those around her. Except, as the reader learns, Aurora actually is a terrible person (not in a criminal way, in a self absorbed and neglectful way). The statement serves to silence those around her who are then subjected to more of her abuses.
The cover includes the line “Can a mother and daughter, bonded by trauma, finally make peace.” The cover illustration is of Aurora and Leyla driving together, and the description says that Aurora heads to L.A. for a family funeral while Leyla is there to secretly spy on her husband who might be cheating on her leading them to share a weekend “of hijinks, chaos, and yes, even some healing”. All of this lead me to believe we were in for a road trip novel in which the two POVs manage to find peace after a series of madcap adventures. There are definitely madcap adventures, but spoiler alert – this is not a mother daughter healing story. Any healing in these pages, is on the part of Leyla who has an actual character arc. Aurora can’t, or won’t, ever change.
I’ve read and enjoyed my fair share of books that have nothing to do with their cover copy, so I know it’s possible to get past that hurdle, however there are a few things that gave me pause here. The novel is dual POV, and we spend a fair amount of time in Aurora’s head. Which is unfortunate because she is not sympathetic. In fact, the more the reader sits in her thoughts, the more they glean that Aurora is truly abusive. There’s no inkling of humanization here – having a troubled past does not justify paying it forward to your own kids – and I think that’s because the author herself disdains Aurora. Her phrases and descriptions – even in Aurora’s head – show a total lack of empathy towards this person. This really works for Leyla’s arc, but if we’re going to cast Aurora as entirely unlikable, then perhaps the novel should have been written in a single POV – Leyla’s. That would also solve the head hopping issue that sometimes occurs where in the span of three or four paragraphs we go from Leyla’s POV to Aurora’s and back again. The novel is written in the third person, but it was still disorienting to me when that happened.
The best parts of Fine, I’m A Terrible Person were indeed in Leyla’s POV. The scene at the cannabis convention was pure hilarity. The connection to her Rhodeslis relatives felt more genuine from her. Not to mention the wonderful parody of rich, private school, mom culture. I loved my time with Leyla! I didn’t care that this was not the story I was implicitly promised by the cover. I was fascinated, and bummed every time I was pulled out of her world to hang out with her irredeemable mother.
If you are triggered by abusive parents who never change, Fine, I’m a terrible Person is not the book for you. If you have nosy people in your life, who cannot help but make comments like “oh what a lovely title for a book, why in the world would you read that?” as if they have any idea of what is inside just from that cursory glance, you might want to read it in a secluded location. If you’re like me – savor your time with Leyla, and try to rush through the Aurora bits as best you can. As Leyla herself comes to learn, she’s worth it, even if her mother will never see that.
Note: BookishlyJewish received a copy from the author