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_a_minha_biblioteca's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
novelvisits's review against another edition
3.0
Full review at: http://www.novelvisits.com/lose-zinzi-clemmons-review/
My Thoughts
What I Liked:
Memoir feel – Though What We Lose is not a memoir, Clemmons did lose her own mother to breast cancer. THE major theme in the story is Thandi creating a life for herself after losing her mother to breast cancer. For that part of the book, it felt like the line between fact and fiction was very thin. It was also where the book was at its strongest.
Beautiful tribute – In its essence What We Lose is a story of grief, the grief of losing a mother too soon. Clemmons beautiful words played tribute to Thandi’s mother, and in doing so to her own, and to all great mothers, as well.
“And when I tried to speak only pain came. The pain was exponential. Because as much as I cried, she could not comfort me, and this fact only multiplied my pain. I realized that this would be life; to figure out how to live without her hand on my back; her soft accented English telling me Everything will be all right, Thandi. This was the paradox: How would I ever heal from losing the person who healed me? The question was so enormous that I could see only my entire life, everything I know, filling it.”
Thandi, attempted to do just that: to use the whole of her life to fill the void left when she lost her mother.
Sense of irony – Throughout the book were ironic idiosyncratic bits that helped to give the story depth. In one instance Thandi was given a pamphlet from hospice entitled “What We Lose: A Support Guide.” The advice, both true and obvious, made the pain even more real. Clemmons also shared instances of Thandi not ever feeling like she truly belonged.
“I’ve often thought that being a light-skinned black woman is like being a well-dressed person who is also homeless.”
And, though Thandi loved her mother’s South African home, the country secretly terrified her.
What I Didn’t:
Vignette format – Clemmons writes in what might best be called snippets or vignettes. Some bits are long, others just paragraphs, or even sentences. She leaves one theme/one time and returns to it again later, leaving it up to the reader to organize her story. This obviously is a style that many people like, but I am not a fan. I might have liked Clemmons’s debut more if I had not had to do so much of the work.
Political passes – Interspersed with Thandi’s life were vignettes of a more social/political nature that seemed unnecessary and added nothing to her own story. The time might have been better spent focusing more on her mother’s background, which I’d have loved to know more about.
The Final Assessment
With so much hype surrounding What We Lose, the debut had very high expectations surrounding it and for me, it just didn’t get there. I could name eight to ten debuts I’ve liked more this year. I appreciate the poignant tribute to a much-loved mother and the exploration of finding a life without her. Unfortunately, the format was such a distraction that the story itself lost much its glow. Grade: C
Note: I received a copy of this book from the publisher (via NetGalley) in exchange for my honest review.
My Thoughts
What I Liked:
Memoir feel – Though What We Lose is not a memoir, Clemmons did lose her own mother to breast cancer. THE major theme in the story is Thandi creating a life for herself after losing her mother to breast cancer. For that part of the book, it felt like the line between fact and fiction was very thin. It was also where the book was at its strongest.
Beautiful tribute – In its essence What We Lose is a story of grief, the grief of losing a mother too soon. Clemmons beautiful words played tribute to Thandi’s mother, and in doing so to her own, and to all great mothers, as well.
“And when I tried to speak only pain came. The pain was exponential. Because as much as I cried, she could not comfort me, and this fact only multiplied my pain. I realized that this would be life; to figure out how to live without her hand on my back; her soft accented English telling me Everything will be all right, Thandi. This was the paradox: How would I ever heal from losing the person who healed me? The question was so enormous that I could see only my entire life, everything I know, filling it.”
Thandi, attempted to do just that: to use the whole of her life to fill the void left when she lost her mother.
Sense of irony – Throughout the book were ironic idiosyncratic bits that helped to give the story depth. In one instance Thandi was given a pamphlet from hospice entitled “What We Lose: A Support Guide.” The advice, both true and obvious, made the pain even more real. Clemmons also shared instances of Thandi not ever feeling like she truly belonged.
“I’ve often thought that being a light-skinned black woman is like being a well-dressed person who is also homeless.”
And, though Thandi loved her mother’s South African home, the country secretly terrified her.
What I Didn’t:
Vignette format – Clemmons writes in what might best be called snippets or vignettes. Some bits are long, others just paragraphs, or even sentences. She leaves one theme/one time and returns to it again later, leaving it up to the reader to organize her story. This obviously is a style that many people like, but I am not a fan. I might have liked Clemmons’s debut more if I had not had to do so much of the work.
Political passes – Interspersed with Thandi’s life were vignettes of a more social/political nature that seemed unnecessary and added nothing to her own story. The time might have been better spent focusing more on her mother’s background, which I’d have loved to know more about.
The Final Assessment
With so much hype surrounding What We Lose, the debut had very high expectations surrounding it and for me, it just didn’t get there. I could name eight to ten debuts I’ve liked more this year. I appreciate the poignant tribute to a much-loved mother and the exploration of finding a life without her. Unfortunately, the format was such a distraction that the story itself lost much its glow. Grade: C
Note: I received a copy of this book from the publisher (via NetGalley) in exchange for my honest review.
therealkathryn's review against another edition
4.0
I was drawn to this because I like stories of first or second generation immigrants (having had many as friends growing up) but this is also a book about (surprise) loss. It felt very real and relatable.
jessicacoh's review against another edition
informative
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
readsbylaura's review against another edition
4.0
"I've often thought that being a light-skinned black woman is like being a well-dressed person who is also homeless. You may be able to pass in mainstream society, appearing acceptable to others, even desired. But in reality you have nowhere to rest, nowhere to feel safe. Even while you're out in public, feeling fine and free, inside you cannot shake the feeling of rootlessness. Others may even envy you, but this masks the fact that at night, there is nowhere safe for you, no place to call your own."
More like 3.75 stars than 4 stars.
Review also posted at Little Pieces of Books.
What We Lose is a thought provoking and emotional story about a young woman battling with loss, sadness, grief, and finding herself all over again. It's something beautiful to read along with the naturalness of the prose that flows smoothly together.
While I found the voice and writing style of Clemmons prose strong and beautiful, I'm not sure that I am fan of the style. It was slightly confusing because the timeline seemed to jump all over the place and trying to piece together when everything was happening kind of made me lose a sense of emotion that the story was trying to convey. But I will say that the way the story reads and how it was written was very unique and a part of me did like that despite also not liking it.
One thing that I am disappointed in was the lack of talk about being biracial. I got a sense that it was going to be something talked about throughout the story, but we get one good quote and that's about it. I understand that the story is a lot more than that, but the part of me that wants a story to relate to when it comes to being Black and White and biracial identity is very sad about it all. Aside from that, What We Lose is definitely a story that everyone should pick up. The prose is so beautiful and natural that you can't help be captivated by the voice that Clemmons created.
alyssiatsmith's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-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
3.25
canadiancat's review against another edition
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.75
An interesting read about grief and loss.