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fernreads42's review
emotional
mysterious
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Racism
swetha062's review
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The first half explains a feeling of grief like how you miss the presence of someone around you, a physical being. The second half gets you through with a person as a feeling that is uncertain, like you are really confused as to what you would do if they never left with the last portion signifying death for anyone as it comes. It's a non-linear story of feelings as the author warns. I was captivated reading the first half and I really loved it. However the characterization in the second half felt a little weak and sometimes obscure with the narration. Otherwise a fascinating read on grief.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Drug use, Self harm, Toxic friendship, Classism, Racism, Grief, Drug abuse, and Death
blessing_aj's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Since reading her debut, Namwali has always struck me as that kind of writer who is interested in experimenting with innovative writing styles and this book has solidified that belief.
In this one, she explores grief with particular focus on how it affects families, memory and self development, through two characters C and Wayne who end up finding love in the strangest of circumstances. The writing is so lyrical, it’s almost poetic. It’s also very disorienting like nothing I have ever read before, because even though a lot is happening, and we experience it in real time through the characters, yet we can’t say for sure what is actually happening. Tbh, this is the only reason, I didn’t rate it 4 stars or more, because the writing is so good.
I enjoyed reading the 65% of the book that I understood and may have to reread sometime to see if I can figure out what the rest was about. So overall, it was an interesting read. However, I’m fairly certain that if I had read it in print, I would have done so at a much slower pace than I did with the audiobook.
In this one, she explores grief with particular focus on how it affects families, memory and self development, through two characters C and Wayne who end up finding love in the strangest of circumstances. The writing is so lyrical, it’s almost poetic. It’s also very disorienting like nothing I have ever read before, because even though a lot is happening, and we experience it in real time through the characters, yet we can’t say for sure what is actually happening. Tbh, this is the only reason, I didn’t rate it 4 stars or more, because the writing is so good.
I enjoyed reading the 65% of the book that I understood and may have to reread sometime to see if I can figure out what the rest was about. So overall, it was an interesting read. However, I’m fairly certain that if I had read it in print, I would have done so at a much slower pace than I did with the audiobook.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Addiction, Death, Grief, Car accident, and Self harm
patchworkculture's review
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
acorny's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Racial slurs
Moderate: Death and Drug abuse
vmdube's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Violence, Sexual content, and Grief
Moderate: Medical content, Drug use, and Injury/Injury detail
bookreviewswithkb's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
4.25 ✨
elegy, psychological thriller, mystery, literary fiction
author of THE OLD DRIFT
this novel is the epitome of the protagonist’s desire - she isn’t here to tell us what happened, but to tell us how it felt. and you will feel. i don’t think it’s possible to fully grasp all Serpell offers in this novel on the first read through and i think it would be easy to give up on this novel but you absolutely shouldn’t. it’s worth giving all of your attention to and then some
the first half is a kind of elegy, for the main character’s grief experienced by the death of her brother, but also for all the ways Black people are harmed by this world and the ever changing flow of grief that follows
in the second half there’s a shift in POV and in language and in feel. it is an exploration of the systems that oppress Black people and the ways it can manifest and how much power it can hold
“you get a rap like that, eighteen years old? in baltimore? it’s a wrap. it’s like you dead, and now you gotta spend the rest of your days as a ghost to the life you was supposed to be livin. and when i got out, what was i sposed to do? …get me an apartment and a job? aint nobody hirin an ex-con. nah, man. truth is, there ain’t no life but The Life once you done a nickel.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Violence, and Child death
Moderate: Death and Police brutality
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