I first read this book years ago, not long after it first came out and I remembered loving it, but i didn't remember why. Not long ago, I tried to tell someone about it and all I could remember was that it was "about a girl that grew up in the circus" I realized it might be time for a refresher course. Rereading it proved that was true, because I didn't even remember that the girl was an albino dwarf with a hunchback whose father and mother had experimented with drug combinations to have children with genetic defects who could be the circus act. And I REALLY didn't remember that that was a sub-sub-sub plot in the story. 
 The story is disturbing to say the least, but well worth being uncomfortable for. It reminds you of the beauty of being who you are and not falling into the trap of "this is how you should be." It reminds you that the inside and the outside aren't always the same, without being cliche in any way, shape, or form. It reminds you of the complexity of families. I look forward to the next time I recommended it when I can give it more than "it's about a girl who grew up in the circus"