I read this book a couple of weeks ago and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since. Bits of it keep coming back to me. The Cassandra Complex, (t’s called Cassandra in Reverse in the U.S.) tells the story of Cassandra Dankworth. A young woman who is living and working in London. She works for an advertising company and has had a series of flat mates. She just can’t find the right fit. Cassie it seems, has never really fitted in anywhere. She doesn’t fully understands why but people are constantly telling her that she is not a people person and that she is a bit odd. She is consistently saying the wrong thing both in her work and personal life. So when she gets dumped, fired and her local café runs out of banana muffins – all in one day it feels like the end of the world. But then Cassie discovers she has the power to go back in time and change things. Now that she has endless chances to get it right she thinks that she can finally fix everything.
This book was chosen as the Reese Book pick for June and I can see why because it’s a great summer read. The author Holly Smale is originally a YA writer and this is her first adult novel. Smale was diagnosed with autism as an adult. So she has written a character who is having a similar experience to her and is living with autism. It was really fascinating getting to know this character.. Smale was able to write a first hand account of what it’s like to be autistic and to receive a late diagnosis. Although not everyone living with autism has the exact same experience this novel made me really see the need for stories written by people living with various conditions, illnesses or disabilities. We need to tell our own stories and share our own experiences instead of letting others tell them for us. As a person living with a physical disability I really related to the way in which Cassie has to constantly shape shift herself in certain environments in order to try and fit in with other people. As I was reading I thought a lot about why being ourselves is so complicated and why others can find it so jarring.
The time travel element was a fantastic devise because it showed that no matter how many times Cassie had the opportunity for a do-over it was never enough and it never pleased everyone. She could never get it “right”. This did frustrate me after a while but it only made me mad at the other characters for making Cassie feel like she was the one with the problem. They made her feel like she was the problem. I began to wonder if many people who are autistic or neurodivergent are constantly being made to feel this way. It seemed like these “endless chances” were actually endless opportunities to make Cassie feel as though she was failing, failing to be “normal”. I was also grateful to this story for challenging some of my own preconceived ideas about autism. I found it very informative and insightful. A line towards the end of the novel that really stayed with me was “I do not have to weave my story over and over again and it is not and never should be told by other people.” Originally I was going to give this novel 4 stars but in the end I changed my mind. It reminded me how important representation really is and made me question some of my own internal biases as well as making clear my constant need to people please. It also showed me that everyones story matters and that some social conventions are utterly ridiculous, especially for women. I wondered wether if Cassie were male would others care as much about what she wore or her blunt responses. For all these reasons I thought it deserved 5 stars.
Outside of the representation factor it is also just a great fantasy novel. It is very funny and the characters are well developed and entertaining. One or two of them absolutely stole my heart. I loved the fact that Smale didn’t go out of her way to try and make Cassie more likeable, she just let her be herself. That’s what in the end, makes her loveable in my opinion. I couldn’t believe that this was Smale’s first novel for adults. It is very well constructed and a really enjoyable read. I know some people weren’t sure about the ending and I did have some misgivings about it at first but after sitting with it for a bit I actually understood Smale’s reasoning for it. I realised that it was a nod to being yourself and not trying to change or be what others want you to be. I liked it because it made me feel like we’re all enough as we are and overall I found that message kind of hopeful. I look forward to reading whatever Smale writes next.
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