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A review by nuevecuervos
The Lamentation of Their Women by Kai Ashante Wilson
4.0
I read this as a direct follow from A Taste of Honey, and I am amused, which I'm certain is not a word that anyone half-sane would use in conjunction with this novella.
This novella is about a justifiably angry black woman, Nisha, from Brooklyn, her dysfunctional relationship, and what happens when the devil hands them cursed weapons and takes them for lieutenants in a world where 45 has indeed been elected and Jim Crow laws are back (so what? two years from now? :\ ) Here's a hint-- it doesn't go well for anyone. They see black protestors on TV, and Anhell says to her that he's about goddamn tired of seeing crying black women, and for once wouldn't it be sweet to see some crying white people?
I mean, yes, but no, of course not. We as somewhat civilized people think, dude, all white people in general don't need to die-- we need the white people doing the killing to stop abusing their authority. We as angry people of all colors get real fucking tired of seeing people of color suffer and be blamed for that suffering, as though white people were just standing to one side the whole time, blameless and sweetly confused.
This story then is not just revenge fantasy; it's a vivid, explicit rumination on what would happen if you take that angry person with not a lot to lose, hand them a magical weapon that makes them want to do murder without conscience, and then leave it to them to point it at the persons they think need killing. It does not indeed take a genius to decide where those weapons are going to be pointed. It should be self-evident for anyone who's paying attention.
That said, why am I amused? Because I just finished bitching about how A Taste of Honey reads like faux victorian anime boylove set in a really interesting fantasy setting, and I am having some real trouble figuring out how we get to The Lamentation of Their Women from there (or vice versa). I kind of love that.
This novella is about a justifiably angry black woman, Nisha, from Brooklyn, her dysfunctional relationship, and what happens when the devil hands them cursed weapons and takes them for lieutenants in a world where 45 has indeed been elected and Jim Crow laws are back (so what? two years from now? :\ ) Here's a hint-- it doesn't go well for anyone. They see black protestors on TV, and Anhell says to her that he's about goddamn tired of seeing crying black women, and for once wouldn't it be sweet to see some crying white people?
I mean, yes, but no, of course not. We as somewhat civilized people think, dude, all white people in general don't need to die-- we need the white people doing the killing to stop abusing their authority. We as angry people of all colors get real fucking tired of seeing people of color suffer and be blamed for that suffering, as though white people were just standing to one side the whole time, blameless and sweetly confused.
This story then is not just revenge fantasy; it's a vivid, explicit rumination on what would happen if you take that angry person with not a lot to lose, hand them a magical weapon that makes them want to do murder without conscience, and then leave it to them to point it at the persons they think need killing. It does not indeed take a genius to decide where those weapons are going to be pointed. It should be self-evident for anyone who's paying attention.
That said, why am I amused? Because I just finished bitching about how A Taste of Honey reads like faux victorian anime boylove set in a really interesting fantasy setting, and I am having some real trouble figuring out how we get to The Lamentation of Their Women from there (or vice versa). I kind of love that.