Reviews with content warning for Forced institutionalization - The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store

Similar to previous reviews I have read of this book, it is not quite what it advertises itself to be. Indeed, the "murder mystery" aspect of it seems to be almost a secondary focus of the account (think of this as similar to The Secret History's advertising). Instead, this book focuses on themes of community and solidarity, particularly showing how physical spaces not only impact the relationships we form with one another, but ultimately seems to show how the spaces we encounter impact our senses of agency and our politics overall. I think the book is stunning in the way it maps this out. Props also must go to the writing style of the book, which I think makes it easy to imagine and immerse yourself in the world, while also containing moments of excellence (which I found most stunning when we reach Chona's and Dodo's points of view). I think it is also very informative on Jewish and Black cultures, which I think makes it really interesting and leaves the reader taking away a lot on those identities. The only qualm I have with this book is that at times I think there is a lot of unnecessary clings onto descriptions, and with the wide breadth of characters and storylines, at times it comes off as a bit confusing and, perhaps, boring to read. All in all though, it is a wonderful book and I am glad that I picked it up.

Content Warnings

hannahbee_97's review against another edition

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challenging emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
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

This book was well written. I found myself thinking about books I read in my American Lit classes in undergrad, this had similar vibes to those, but with more complex/diverse characters. It isn’t a book I’m likely to reread, but it was worth reading.

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kellyllin's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad slow-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? Yes

2.0

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kellijones's review against another edition

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challenging dark informative slow-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

3.0

I read this book because of the accolades it received, but I'm not sure how much I liked it. It was all anecdotes, and perspective changes, and tangents - I was halfway through the book wondering what the point of the story was. I love character driven stories, but I'm not sure I'd even call this book that. There were certainly enough characters, and the reader gets to learn a little about each of them. It felt like a lot of words to say a little. The perspectives of the characters' contained a lot of "isms" and perhaps were purposed to shed light on the biases we all carry. It was not uninteresting, but it wasn't my cup of tea. It felt like a chore to read most of the time and not even the kind of homework that was for my own good that I would see in hindsight.

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mnasadoo's review against another edition

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challenging dark informative inspiring mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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jkpiowa's review against another edition

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challenging emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-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? It's complicated

4.25

Really enjoyed this one. One of the most diverse and well written books I've read lately. It covers racism, ableism, sexism, and antisemitism - make sure to check content warnings for this one, it's very raw and not sugar coated.

My main critique is that while the last 1/3 was 5/5 stars, amazing, and the first 1/3 was intriguing, the middle 1/3 dragged a little bit. Know that the cast of characters is literally a whole town, and this book is about the depth of characters, not the plot.

Make sure you read the author's acknowledgments!

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