Reviews

I’m re-reading this book and it ripped my heart apart again. This book is a giant cry to be seen, to not be just “a Black person”, to get individuality, to be allowed to just be. This book is filled with fear, the worst kind - the everyday one. To not know whether this day is your last, just on the base of the colour of your skin? To have to suppress the anger and anguish for years, decades, to not let it ruin your life? To be free but never truly free? Devastating read but written in such heart-wrenchingly beautiful way that it will continue to have a special place in my heart

anastasiazfrpl's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

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

4.75

tieganlucy's review against another edition

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5.0

4.5 stars - So so so beautiful. The use of seasons to convey emotion and the repeated phrases and analogies used throughout the book were so gorgeous. I underlined so much of this book because the writing was so incredible. So close to a 5 star read for me but I just couldn’t award it that because occasionally it lost my attention and interest ever so slightly. But overall a stunning book.

hadestorm's review against another edition

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3.0

"to love is to be a whole, partial, a joint, a fracture, a heart, a bone. it is to bleed and heal. it is to be in the world, honest. it is to place someone next to your beating heart, in the absolute darkness of your inner, and trust they will hold you close. to love is to trust, to trust is to have faith. how else are you meant to love ?"

shessiejeep's review against another edition

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dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

easyvisionary's review against another edition

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5.0

“You've been wondering about your own relationship to open water. You've been wondering about the trauma and how it always finds its way to the surface, floating in the ocean. You've been wondering about how to protect that trauma from consumption. You've been wondering about departing, about being elsewhere.
You have always thought if you opened your mouth in open water you would drown, but if you didn't open your mouth you would suffocate. So here you are, drowning.”

This was thoughtful and intelligent. This was just stunning. I was apprehensive about the second person perspective but it worked really well and really set a soft tone for this novel. While this is heartbreaking it is also calming. It just feels real. And I know that’s silly to say but it does. Narration is at you the reader. You.

I loved everything about this. What a clever novel and clever writing choices. Perfect length too!

anacmachado's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

4.0

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