Reviews

I like Alvarez’s writing style. Their is something fluid and startling in it, in the way she describes a character’s emotions or a scene. A subtle clarity to it.

This was an interesting exploration of four sisters that reveals itself in layers since the narrative goes backward. It’s not the most coherent narrative but reads more like a series of portraits that together leave a lasting, unsettling impression of what it means to live between worlds and cultures. I like the strong emphasis on family and how each sister navigates the strictures differently. It’s very much a family story yet very contextualized within what was happening in society politically and socially at the time.

teetea's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective slow-paced

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

0.5

Content Warnings

wesleylebakken's review against another edition

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3.5

other than this book moving backwards in time, nothing significant really stood out to me. i was confused at first by the reverse chronology, but once i figured out what was happening i liked it a lot! it was such an innovative way to relay a story and part of me wants to read the book backwards now.

the four girls are kind of similar and difficult to tell apart at the beginning, but as the book progresses their differences become a lot more clear and that improved my enjoyment of the book.

the narrative was a series of short stories, and some were definitely more enrapturing that others. i don’t typically love books with short stories, but this one redeemed them in my mind just a baby bit!