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margolovie89's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Physical abuse, Slavery, Drug abuse, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Medical content, Addiction, Torture, Violence, Murder, and Body horror
barry_x's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
'Brown Girl in the Ring' is the story of Ti-Jeanne, a young mother living with her grandmother in a dystopian Toronto where the city has effectively been abandoned by state authorities following an economic crisis. Ti-Jeanne's stuck with her drug addict loser on-off boyfriend Tony who is running with the city gang. Meanwhile, nationally, the right wing leaning Premier needs a new heart and the demographics suggesting rejecting animal transplants in favour of human donors is a vote winner. Rudy the gang boss is tasked to find a donor.
So I am really going to try hard to avoid discussing the plot so much, because when this kicks in I think the less the reader knows up front the better.
What I do feel comfortable talking about is the characterisation. I have read a few reviews criticising Ti-Jeanne and I can certainly see how she can annoy readers. I didn't mind her, but she is deeply flawed. She doesn't appear to be a good mother. She continually makes stupid choices, and in the early part of the book she seems quite immature and selfish. I like this, but if you are looking for a kick-ass heroine you aren't going to get one. Tony comes across as the most pathetic loser irrespective of the plot. Again he is not a hero in the slightest. Mami Gros-Jeanne, Ti-Jeanne's grandmother is brilliant and she reminded me of the title character in Mama Day which I read recently - an elderly black matriarch with a knowledge of healing and magic.
However, I must reserve my praise for the writing of Rudy. I don't think I have ever read a character I have despised in such a long time - he is just a horrible human being. Everyone else in the book has a rationale for their decisions, but Rudy is an out and out evil villain. No shade of grey at all. But when you have such an unredeemable character it helps the rest of the novel to pivot around it. He is definitely not an easy read, but at the same time he is someone I really wanted to get his comeuppance.
The dialect used by most of the characters is in Caribbean English and it's lovely to read - so rich and deep. I quite like reading books written where the language is written in non-standard English. I think it brings the characters to life and I can hear their voices much better. Chapters are interspersed with nursery rhymes, folk songs and poems which brings the culture of the book to life.
Central to the book are old African Gods who can provide aid and warnings, plus Obeah, Caribbean folklore sprits and monsters. I've only dipped into Afro-Caribbean folklore but it was good to see many of these stories crop up here.
I also really liked dystopia Toronto. It felt like a fully realised city without power or running water for many and no law or government structures. It had all the tropes of a city ripe for exploitation by outsiders, but it also had a functioning bartering and trade system, a health system of sorts. I didn't feel like everything was hell despite the poverty. I am struck by the notion that even in times of a breaking down of structures human beings instinctively find ways to collaborate and organise.
I've not seen this book marketed as horror, seeing it typically categorised as science fiction but there are definitely horror elements here, particularly body horror, and I think this book is genuinely creepy and scary at times.
Highly recommended
Graphic: Animal death and Body horror
Moderate: Drug use and Domestic abuse
lmwanak's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Blood and Body horror
Moderate: Drug abuse
emalderwood's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
If you like this genre and are okay putting up with character flaws and some areas where the writing is still developing then it's worth the read. I would definitely be interested in reading more of this author's later works as my issues were less 'the author is terrible' and more 'the author hasn't fully come into her prime yet, but has good instinct.'
Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Drug abuse, Death, Torture, Mental illness, Murder, and Death of parent
Moderate: Gore, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, and Blood
Minor: Medical content
wordsareworlds's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.5
I found the worldbuilding slightly confusing, but that has to do with my own ignorance of both specific Caribbean cultural references and the city of Toronto. That being said, it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story. Hopkinson's prose is evocative and impactful, and the ways she described the magic were both awe inspiring and terrifying.
Highly recommend for people looking for a fast paced, exciting, and in many ways heart breaking, coming of age story with strong themes of motherhood, family, and holding onto culture in a place that is often hostile to it.
Graphic: Mental illness, Death of parent, Child death, Body horror, Gun violence, Violence, Torture, Medical content, and Child abuse
Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic, Racial slurs, and Domestic abuse
rorikae's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Ti-Jeanne lives in postriots Toronto with her grandmother. Her mother disappeared when she was young and Ti-Jeanne has been working to find her place in the world. When Tony, the father of her child, comes to Ti-Jeanne's grandmother for help after the local crime boss taps him for a horrific project, Ti-Jeanne begins to learn more about her grandmother's spirits and how the violence in the city is tied to her own family.
I am amazed that this was Hopkinson's debut novel. The prose is pristine and evocative. The characters are fully fledged and engaging. The reader is plopped down into a world that feels real. I love how Hopkinson has mixed Caribbean folklore with a nearfuture Toronto setting to create something completely new and unique. There is so much that happens in this book over a relatively short amount of time and yet it is easy to follow and exciting. I cannot wait to read more of Hopkinson's work.
Graphic: Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Death, Blood, Murder, Violence, Torture, Gun violence, Gore, Classism, Child death, Death of parent, and Body horror
Moderate: Addiction, Abandonment, and Drug use
sadie_g's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Body horror, Blood, and Violence
Moderate: Drug abuse, Death, and Drug use
Minor: Child death and Domestic abuse
solenodon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Murder, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Body horror, Blood, Violence, Medical content, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Toxic relationship, Gun violence, Grief, Confinement, and Child death
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Death of parent, Sexism, Racism, Pregnancy, and Physical abuse
laurensilva's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Violence and Body horror
a_davis's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
book 4 for afrofuturism seminar! will update with notes
Graphic: Body horror