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josie2k's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Racism, Sexual content, Cursing, Drug use, Gun violence, Alcohol, Confinement, Hate crime, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Toxic relationship
sarahholliday's review
challenging
hopeful
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
3.75
I think The Last White Man would make for a fantastic read alongside other works that tackle similar topics, employ the same literary devices, and offer different approaches to the "race transformation" plot. There's a lot to discuss here, and though I personally didn't find Hamid's approach to be particularly satisfying, I would love to dig into it with others.
I don't usually enjoy Hemingway-eque, stream of consciousness writing styles, but there was something about Hamid's rambling sentences and odd colloquialisms that kept me engaged.
Overall, I think a lot of the heft of the novel comes from its representation of events we've collectively lived through recently—militant responses to unrest, racial tension, confinement, etc. The events of the novel, apart from their real life counterparts, feel overly simplistic. Maybe that's a result of our limited perspective, stuck as we are within Anders' POV. Or maybe Hamid's happily-ever-ending just feels to unrealistic.
I don't usually enjoy Hemingway-eque, stream of consciousness writing styles, but there was something about Hamid's rambling sentences and odd colloquialisms that kept me engaged.
Overall, I think a lot of the heft of the novel comes from its representation of events we've collectively lived through recently—militant responses to unrest, racial tension, confinement, etc. The events of the novel, apart from their real life counterparts, feel overly simplistic. Maybe that's a result of our limited perspective, stuck as we are within Anders' POV. Or maybe Hamid's happily-ever-ending just feels to unrealistic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Racism, Suicide, Death, and Pandemic/Epidemic
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