Darkstroke

A Complicated Kindness

A Complicated Kindness book cover
AC
Fiction Fiction Religion & Spirituality Young Adult

by Miriam Toews

starstarstarstar_halfstar
3.64 (14K ratings)
calendar_today 2004
description 253 pages

A Complicated Kindness by Miriam Toews holds a well received rating of 3.64 out of 5, based on 14K reader ratings. First published in 2004. The book spans 253 pages.

About A Complicated Kindness

In this stunning coming-of-age novel, award-winner Miriam Toews balances grief and hope in the voice of a witty, beleaguered teenager whose family is shattered by fundamentalist Christianity."Half of our family, the better-looking half, is missing," Nomi Nickel tells us at the beginning of A Complicated Kindness. Left alone with her sad, peculiar father, her days are spent piecing together why her mother and sister have disappeared and contemplating her inevitable career at Happy Family Farms, a chicken slaughterhouse on the outskirts of East Village. Not the East Village in New York City where Nomi would prefer to live, but an oppressive town founded by Mennonites on the cold, flat plains of Manitoba, Canada.This darkly funny novel is the world according to the unforgettable Nomi, a bewildered and wry sixteen-year-old trapped in a town governed by fundamentalist religion and in the shattered remains of a family it destroyed. In Nomi's droll, refreshing voice, we're told the story of an eccentric, loving family that falls apart as each member lands on a collision course with the only community any of them have ever known. A work of fierce humor and tragedy by a writer who has taken the American market by storm, this searing, tender, comic testament to family love will break your heart.

Detail Value
Author Miriam Toews
Published 2004
Pages 253
Genres Fiction, Fiction, Religion & Spirituality, Young Adult
Average Rating 3.64 / 5.00
Total Ratings 13,981

Reader Ratings & Analysis

Rating Overview

3.6
starstarstarstar_halfstar
14K ratings
With a rating of 3.64, A Complicated Kindness is rated below the global average of 4.17. Compared to its genre average of 3.99, it performs below the genre benchmark.

How It Compares

3.64
This Book
3.99
Young Adult Average
4.17
Global Average

Frequently Asked Questions

What genre is A Complicated Kindness?

A Complicated Kindness is categorized as Fiction, Fiction, Religion & Spirituality, Young Adult. Its primary genre classification is Young Adult.

Is A Complicated Kindness worth reading?

Based on 14K reader ratings, A Complicated Kindness has an average score of 3.64 out of 5.00, which is considered "Well Received."

How many pages is A Complicated Kindness?

A Complicated Kindness has 253 pages.

Who wrote A Complicated Kindness?

A Complicated Kindness was written by Miriam Toews. It was first published in 2004.

What is the ISBN for A Complicated Kindness?

The ISBN-13 for A Complicated Kindness is 9781582433230.0.

Data sourced from community book ratings and reviews. Last updated: April 15, 2026