A review by rebornrosess
Gutter Child by Jael Richardson

dark reflective 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

3.75

an incredibly impressive debut novel! i had to read this for class and i can see why. despite this being a fiction novel, it’s scarily grounded in a reality that feels all too familiar and richardson does a great job at creating a lived-in world (although it does become very expositional at time.)

i was really loving this novel up until the second part. cw: sexual assault
why the hell was it necessary for rowan to make sexual advances on elimina in exactly the same way her sexual abuser did?? right after she disclosed that to him on the SAME page??
it was incredibly disappointing especially given it drove the rest of the novel’s plot. 

that scene soured my opinion on the novel for a while, especially because it never addresses it again, but other than that, i’d say this is an essential read. a heartbreaking and visceral look into systemic racism.  
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