Dear Bookworms,
Overall, The Right Design by Isabella Louise Anderson is best described as a quick romp – in more ways than one.
Originally written as a NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) composition, the finished product is not strongly developed but rather short and light, best suited as a quick afternoon beach read. As such, it cannot be examined with too critical a lens but there are a few points to make for what it is.
Expectedly, Anderson’s writing does include sexually charged material. Her main character is of a carnal mindset and the plot naturally follows suit. Several times, however, she utilizes a tactful fade-to-black which saves her novel from becoming excessively tawdry.
For those with an interest in home and design and structure, this novel is true to the theme suggested by the title and does contain detailed descriptive passages of several locations in the story.
As a main character, Carrie is actually rather interesting. Although I could not agree with her decisions or the direction of her moral compass (Carrie professes few morals, and the ones she does mention specifically, are cast aside rather quickly), her thought processes were extremely human and relatable. I found the real core of the novel to be found in these scenes. Through Carrie, Anderson captures well the ramblings of the female mind and demonstrates how quickly our thoughts can jump around and our emotions can carry us away.
Keep reading!
Live, Love, Learn