Reviews

Havana Noir by Achy Obejas

parlade's review

1.0

300+ brutal pages recounting Cuban pain and only pain. Future readers should know heavy contents (CW) include topics of rape, child abuse, suicide, murder, racism, homophobia, misogyny.

competencefantasy's review

I know its an older story, but the first story had *a lot* of language in terms of racism ablism and homophobia.

Like a lot 

And I am not grabbed by the tone in general

Shame because I love the concept 

krobinson9292's review

fast-paced

4.0

zoenosis's review against another edition

5.0

This was a big surprise, I absolutely loved this! Every story was at least a bit depraved and/or brutal, but all in very different ways. 'Crime' is much simpler in some stories, like working as a black market beautician, but overall still a lot of murder, rape and gore. Stories I particularly loved were 'The Last Passenger' (Ena Lucía Portela), 'The Scene' (Mylene Fernández Pintado), 'Murder, According to My Mother-in-Law' (Arturo Arango), 'The Dinner' (Carolina García-Aguilera), 'Johnny Ventura’s Seventh Try' (Pablo Medina) and 'Zenzizenzic' (the editor, Achy Obejas) -- though to be honest it is quite hard to pick favourites.

ladymirtazapine's review against another edition

challenging dark informative mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Antisemitism, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Incest, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Violence

mel_burt's review

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexism, Racism, Antisemitism, and Incest

2treads's review

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

As with all the Noir series we've read, each and every story pulses with a knowledge that comes from having lived in and been steeped in a place and its history. 

That said, the first two stories were heavy, almost as if they resisted being read, the premise of each was very interesting and that's why we continued reading, but they were written  in a way that did not engage us.  

However as we moved deeper into the collection, the sparks started flying, it was in the dialogue: sarcastic, snarky, humorous; the characters that were resigned, melodramatic, desperate; and the setting that seemed to come alive through the descriptions and existence in the particular political and socio-economic clime.

Definitely a collection in which lies a story for every reader.

TW: rape, sexual abuse of minors, murder.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Rape, Trafficking, Pedophilia, Murder, and Child abuse

jherane's review against another edition

2.0

So few highs (but really really good highs) and so many lows.