Reviews

The Untelling by Tayari Jones

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szdalessa's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-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

3.5

I loved American Marraige, but did not love this novel of Tayari Jones as much. I think it was well written and a good plot, but the characters just annoyed me so much! Take that as you will - you'll probably like it because it's a good book, just not my cup of tea right now I guess.

alicebme's review

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4.0

So much of this story is traumatic negative space.

haf666ia's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Jones is a master of writing people that feel so damn real. She can literally write about anything because the people she creates in her stories are so engaging, so real, so human that you will care about them and miss them when the book is over, you will be invested in whatever they are going through. This book was surprising, I didn’t see it going where it went and it was such an interesting read. Never read a story about that before.

book_concierge's review against another edition

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4.0

Ariadne is nine years old when the family is in an automobile accident on the way to her dance recital. Her father and baby sister, Genevieve, die. Aria, her older sister, Hermione, and their mother survive. But all three carry serious emotional scars from the event. Now it is sixteen years later and they are living independent lives. Hermione is married and the mother of a toddler, living in the suburbs and almost never returns Aria’s phone calls. Their mother is a bitter woman, who uses her elegant attire as armor against emotional contact. Aria, having graduated from Spellman College, lives in a not-quite-gentrified neighborhood in central Atlanta and works at a nonprofit Literacy Center. The one thing they have in common is that none will talk about their guilt and regrets, their hopes and their dreams.

This is the second book I’ve read by Jones, and I continue to be impressed by her writing. She really explores her characters, slowly letting the reader get to know these women. Aria narrates and that does give us a skewed perspective of her mother and sister, as well as best friend Rochelle, boyfriend Dwayne and other characters in the book. She is forever expecting things to turn out badly, and she is sometimes proven right. But she fails to see how she influences the outcome. An unexpected diagnosis is the catalyst for Aria’s finally coming to terms with her loss and facing her present and future. I am different now; today nothing scares me more than the hollow clatter of secrets.