Reviews

Skin Folk by Nalo Hopkinson

triseke's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

ketreads's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful lighthearted

3.75

Another choice for this years Storygraph Reads the World challenge. This pick is for the country of Jamaica.

I manged to snag the audiobook version of this from libby and found it fantastic. Each story is it's own unique but, surprisingly, realised world. I definitely found myself liking some more than others, but the over arching themes of culture, self love, and community were some of my favourite aspects. This author has a clear passion and skill when it comes to adding fantastical or sci-fi elements to her short stories. Each one managed to surprise or impress (or often both) me!

My only minor gripe (or rather personal taste) is that I didn't enjoy more sexual leaning-stories. Especially as the book ends on quite a long and particularly graphic one. But, again, this is just a personal preference and not a comment on the authors skill regarding it.

Overall a lovely collection of short stories that I mostly loved!

heidipolkissa82's review

adventurous emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

suzannemseidel's review

fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

hilham's review

emotional hopeful slow-paced

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

3.0

I enjoyed how some of the later stories delved into relationships and friendships with a good dose of magical realism. Some of the stories however, didn't seem that distinct from one another and at times felt similar enough to feel repetitive. 

adiajamille's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.5

tricapra's review

4.0

What a wonderful short story collection. I loved the seamless jumps from realism to sci-fi to folklore. "Fisherman" came as a surprise, because it was very much erotica. Very well written, compelling erotica though.
I've been trying to branch out with the type of authors I read, and this was a wonderful change of pace. I picked it up because so many people compared Ms. Hopkinson to the late Octavia Butler, and I was not disappointed. I'll be reading more of Nalo Hopkinson in the future for sure.

cthulhu_calamari's review

dark emotional funny mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

khuizenga's review

4.0

I loved the mix of Jamaican culture and folklore in these! At its heart, this is a collection about what we all are underneath the skin, and while I didn’t love all of these stories, all of them brought something unique to the table. Definitely a fun but not too creepy read for this time of year too.

mgouker's review

5.0

Short stories with really cunning wit, many using the Caribbean islands set against cosmopolitan Toronto. I love the use of patois. Nalo Hopkinson uses humor to great effect, but there is an important message underlying these stories that demands attention. It's the sense of seeking for belonging. Great stuff!