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mjfmjfmjf's review
3.0
I was wandering the sf section just browsing when I turned this one up. I've picked up Barnes only books before and not found one I wanted to read but this when had something to it. And yet I put off reading it for three months.
First of all it's on that line between thriller and horror, but with a vaguely [b:The Boys from Brazil|99894|The Boys from Brazil|Ira Levin|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328882615s/99894.jpg|815712] vibe. And the author has this uncanny way of selling you a character and then killing them. And the ideas, which were there and good, just weren't served up quite the way I wanted them to be. In one bit there was a couple of pages of straight info-dumping.
That said, it was a good strong read and definitely creepifying. Not sure if it was worth reading but definitely not a waste of time. 3.5 of 5.
First of all it's on that line between thriller and horror, but with a vaguely [b:The Boys from Brazil|99894|The Boys from Brazil|Ira Levin|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328882615s/99894.jpg|815712] vibe. And the author has this uncanny way of selling you a character and then killing them. And the ideas, which were there and good, just weren't served up quite the way I wanted them to be. In one bit there was a couple of pages of straight info-dumping.
That said, it was a good strong read and definitely creepifying. Not sure if it was worth reading but definitely not a waste of time. 3.5 of 5.
wegmarken2006's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
3.75
madarauchiha's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-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
4.0
✨🌠 my about / byf / CW info carrd: uchiha-madara 🌠✨
This took me about 2.88 hours yo read. Most novels of this length take about two. I hit chapter 21 and was wonder if it ever picked up or started on the dangerous issue. I am glad I powered through because it's a very interesting plot, and incredibly well written.
What a long strange interesting book. I'd say its suspense more than thriller, but definitely a slow, evenly paced one. Everything gets explained that needs explaining. The world setting is very realistic and at many times uncomfortably so. It doesn't shy away from the reality of life and trauma. There is definitely whorephobia in the plot of the serial killers targeting sex workers. I don't know how much of it is romanticized or embellished. Sex workers are common targets, unfortunately. I can appreciate that the serial killers come to a violent and terrible end, at least. That doesn't really make up fir the whorephobia.
Others might suggest this should be shorter. I would disagree as this needs enough room to breathe and allow the characters to exist in order to be more than 2d stereotypes. I think the author did very well conveying black culture and what life is like for black people in a antiblack society. There is very little wish fulfillment to me in the book. In that yes the prominent bad guys get punished to a degree, but that's not to true every bad person encountered herein. Again, it's very real modern life.
Do you ever wish to read a book with Black characters or characters of color and not have it be white characters but with the skin tones changed to 'fit' being Black or PoC? Or that you could read something that naturally included Black people or PoC? And wasn't as a learning device for coddled whites, or unrealistic in terms of racism and antiblackness? This is the book that does such a thing. It doesn't shy away from racism, and I think it's done very well. The author himself is a Black man and is intimate with being Black. Blackness doesn't feel shoehorned in, or like a plot device, in this book.
If you're interested in reading the story but are put off by the slow pace and meandering plot, skip to chapter 82. Everything in the last 81 chapters will be explained. If the plot is still interesting and you don't mind the explicit traumatic themes, I'd suggest reading the full book. Otherwise skip it.
RE Whorephobia, major spoilers.
Part of the plot is that a famous Black man uses his power and sway to get away with literally 'hunting' sex workers who are [most likely] picked up off the street from very impoverished neighborhoods. There is an entire chapter and scene dedicated to one scenario of this happening, though it's done by his white subordinate bodyguard, who is now a police officer. It's not shown as a good thing, and I understand that this does happen in real life. If you're sensitive to such themes and topics, go in forewarned, if at all.
Pedophilia, CSA, Incest.
There are discussions and off screen occurances of CSA / incest and male on male rape. It's not lingered on, and is cut off, switching to a different scene. There are negative reactions to this being witnessed or heard of. I wouldn't say this author is romanticizing these abuses, but does not shy away from them.
Homophobia.
Man there's a shitton in it. The gay cis white men are pretty much The Bad Guys in this. See the above paragraph too. Huh.
Anti indigenous racism.
Hey you know the Addams Family movie wherein the kids are sent to the Summer Camp and there's the thanksgiving reenactment with the kids pretending to be Native Americans? Yeah there's a summer camp portion like that in the book, complete with using Indigenous Nations as 'tribe' or cabin grouping for the kids.
content warnings
minor ableism towards people who use drugs, abortion, anti indigenous slur [Sioux], antisemitism, cancer, child abuse, death, homophobia, incest, mormons, murder, pedophilia, racism, serophobia / AIDs, sexual content
medium abuse, antisemitism, bullying, car crash, child abuse, fatphobia, genital mutilation, guns, injuries, trafficking, violence
major ableist language r slur, animal cruelty, animal death, anti black racism, bullying, cancer, car crashes, child abuse, child death, colorism, csa, death, drowning, drug use cocaine, drug use smoking tobacco, fire, fire injuries, gambling, gore, gun violence, hate crime, homophobia, incest, injuries, male rape, medical content, murder, parental death, pedophilia, racial slurs, rape, sexual violence, vietnam war crimes, violence, vomit, war crimes, whorephobia,
This took me about 2.88 hours yo read. Most novels of this length take about two. I hit chapter 21 and was wonder if it ever picked up or started on the dangerous issue. I am glad I powered through because it's a very interesting plot, and incredibly well written.
What a long strange interesting book. I'd say its suspense more than thriller, but definitely a slow, evenly paced one. Everything gets explained that needs explaining. The world setting is very realistic and at many times uncomfortably so. It doesn't shy away from the reality of life and trauma. There is definitely whorephobia in the plot of the
Others might suggest this should be shorter. I would disagree as this needs enough room to breathe and allow the characters to exist in order to be more than 2d stereotypes. I think the author did very well conveying black culture and what life is like for black people in a antiblack society. There is very little wish fulfillment to me in the book. In that yes the prominent bad guys get punished to a degree, but that's not to true every bad person encountered herein. Again, it's very real modern life.
Do you ever wish to read a book with Black characters or characters of color and not have it be white characters but with the skin tones changed to 'fit' being Black or PoC? Or that you could read something that naturally included Black people or PoC? And wasn't as a learning device for coddled whites, or unrealistic in terms of racism and antiblackness? This is the book that does such a thing. It doesn't shy away from racism, and I think it's done very well. The author himself is a Black man and is intimate with being Black. Blackness doesn't feel shoehorned in, or like a plot device, in this book.
If you're interested in reading the story but are put off by the slow pace and meandering plot, skip to chapter 82. Everything in the last 81 chapters will be explained. If the plot is still interesting and you don't mind the explicit traumatic themes, I'd suggest reading the full book. Otherwise skip it.
RE Whorephobia, major spoilers.
Part of the plot is that a
Pedophilia, CSA, Incest.
There are discussions and off screen occurances of CSA / incest and male on male rape. It's not lingered on, and is cut off, switching to a different scene. There are negative reactions to this being witnessed or heard of. I wouldn't say this author is romanticizing these abuses, but does not shy away from them.
Homophobia.
Man there's a shitton in it. The gay cis white men are pretty much The Bad Guys in this. See the above paragraph too. Huh.
Anti indigenous racism.
Hey you know the Addams Family movie wherein the kids are sent to the Summer Camp and there's the thanksgiving reenactment with the kids pretending to be Native Americans? Yeah there's a summer camp portion like that in the book, complete with using Indigenous Nations as 'tribe' or cabin grouping for the kids.
content warnings
minor ableism towards people who use drugs, abortion, anti indigenous slur [Sioux], antisemitism, cancer, child abuse, death, homophobia, incest, mormons, murder, pedophilia, racism, serophobia / AIDs, sexual content
medium abuse, antisemitism, bullying, car crash, child abuse, fatphobia, genital mutilation, guns, injuries, trafficking, violence
major ableist language r slur, animal cruelty, animal death, anti black racism, bullying, cancer, car crashes, child abuse, child death, colorism, csa, death, drowning, drug use cocaine, drug use smoking tobacco, fire, fire injuries, gambling, gore, gun violence, hate crime, homophobia, incest, injuries, male rape, medical content, murder, parental death, pedophilia, racial slurs, rape, sexual violence, vietnam war crimes, violence, vomit, war crimes, whorephobia,
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Child death, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Racial slurs, Racism, Cancer, Car accident, Death of parent, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Incest, Medical content, Murder, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, War, Vomit, and Trafficking
Moderate: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Antisemitism, Bullying, Car accident, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Trafficking, and Violence
Minor: Ableism, Abortion, Racial slurs, Antisemitism, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Homophobia, Incest, Murder, Pedophilia, Racism, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
kevinhendricks's review
4.0
This was a fascinating, slow burn thriller. At 450 pages maybe a little too slow (it took me a while to finish), but the story of engineering low income youth tapped into a lot of intriguing and timely themes.
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