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jewelrybonney's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Ableism, Grief, Child death, Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Suicide, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, and Misogyny
Moderate: Colonisation, Death of parent, Murder, Outing, Homophobia, Pedophilia, and Bullying
Minor: Rape and Dementia
thewordsdevourer's review
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
1.5
sad to say that the book of memory is unfortunately a disappointment. it def offers a rare look into zimbabwean life, history and culture, as well as the experience of a person with albinism. however, it drags unendingly on - thus taking me almost a week to finish it - w/ very slow pacing and what does happen on the pg is not nearly gripping enough. there's certainly some interesting stuff here, but they arent focused on enough, w/ gappah often instead spending too much time poring over the less engaging stuff.
memory, lloyd and their relationship are fleshed out and surprisingly complex, but the multitude of characters in the prison dont get the same treatment, and after a while it becomes a blur keeping tabs on who's who. nevertheless, the language and writing are good and fit the story, and the book does get considerably better and gripping in the last 20%, but by then it was too little too late. overall, the book's setting is indeed a unique one in english language lit, but as a novel it leaves quite a bit to be desired.
memory, lloyd and their relationship are fleshed out and surprisingly complex, but the multitude of characters in the prison dont get the same treatment, and after a while it becomes a blur keeping tabs on who's who. nevertheless, the language and writing are good and fit the story, and the book does get considerably better and gripping in the last 20%, but by then it was too little too late. overall, the book's setting is indeed a unique one in english language lit, but as a novel it leaves quite a bit to be desired.
Graphic: Racism and Racial slurs
Moderate: Child death, Suicide, Outing, Violence, Homophobia, and Colonisation
Minor: Murder, Child abuse, and Infidelity
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