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2treads's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-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? It's complicated
4.0
Condé brings the town alive by using her characters and inhabitants of the community to build a profile of one Francis Sancher. Using this mode also allows us into the minds of the community members, revealing their own characteristics and how they feel about their existence and those around them.
I love multi-perspective stories as this gives the novel a more grounded and complete feel. It cements the goings-on and makes me reflect on my own community structure and hierarchies. Because all communities are simple and complex in their interactions and experiences.
She has built this story as a ladder and a lattice, where every step and cross-piece is used to reveal not just characteristics but an inevitable change that is uncovered from each individual's encounter with this most despised man.
It is clear as the members of the community who had more than a passing relationship with Sancher reflect, that he was complicated and haunted, making him at most misunderstood and at least a cheat. But you will have to decide.
I love multi-perspective stories as this gives the novel a more grounded and complete feel. It cements the goings-on and makes me reflect on my own community structure and hierarchies. Because all communities are simple and complex in their interactions and experiences.
She has built this story as a ladder and a lattice, where every step and cross-piece is used to reveal not just characteristics but an inevitable change that is uncovered from each individual's encounter with this most despised man.
It is clear as the members of the community who had more than a passing relationship with Sancher reflect, that he was complicated and haunted, making him at most misunderstood and at least a cheat. But you will have to decide.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, Colonisation, and Classism
Minor: Racial slurs, Slavery, Death, Infidelity, Homophobia, and Incest
laurenleigh's review against another edition
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This is a great example of a book I probably wouldn’t have picked up without my reading challenges! I’ve definitely been enjoying reading some Caribbean women authors this year. Condé’s depiction of Guadeloupe is rather fascinating in its diversity. People from all over have found themselves on this island: Black, white, Brown…French, Spanish, Indian, Cuban, maybe more that I missed. But I’m not going to call it a “melting pot,” since that’s both cliché and incorrect. The whole theme of this novel is to show the ways in which a community can be physically together but socially apart. Told in different POV’s for each chapter, it’s an interesting exploration of group dynamics. Everyone has gathered together at a wake, and we get to know their stories of the dead man, along with their own histories, as the night progresses. We see how generational trauma leaves its mark unendingly, unless you work to heal it. We see how secrets can fester, and how one person’s “truth” is fiction to another. We see that everyone wants for something, everyone has their own pain and hunger and desire, even those we dislike or want to remain separate from. There was a good deal of hate on this island, which made me sad. Often that hate stemmed from colorism, but often just out of feeling alone and unloved I think.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Racial slurs, Racism, and Pregnancy
Minor: Xenophobia and Mental illness
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