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anneke_b's review against another edition
4.0
"Mother" moves to a predominantly white suburb of Atlanta GA, and never fits in. The microaggressions and intentional targeting by the police finally get to her. She says no, and ends up shot and lying on her driveway bleeding. Memories, thoughts and the presence all come together in that moment.
A haunting story of racism in contemporary America.
Recommended
A haunting story of racism in contemporary America.
Recommended
aimlessaugust's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
draftpunk's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
tommooney's review against another edition
2.0
Quite interesting to begin with but by the end I thought it was quite a poor novel.
Laskar writes about something that doesn't get much air time - the experience of Indian Americans in modern society. Her fragmented storytelling seems to have irked a few on here but I didn't really have an issue with that, in fact that was my favourite part of it.
My issues lie with the characters. Firstly, the protagonist and her family, whose interesting story is not at all fleshed out. I am not really sure why she doesn't name any of them and this feels like a needless gimmick. I also have a little bit of a problem with pretty much every white person in the novel being a racist and every non-white person being open and friendly and accepting. While I get the point, I'm not sure this is a particularly helpful or accurate portrayal of Americans. But then again I live in Britain, not the American south, so perhaps I underestimate the depth of the divisions that side of the pond, compared with here.
Laskar writes about something that doesn't get much air time - the experience of Indian Americans in modern society. Her fragmented storytelling seems to have irked a few on here but I didn't really have an issue with that, in fact that was my favourite part of it.
My issues lie with the characters. Firstly, the protagonist and her family, whose interesting story is not at all fleshed out. I am not really sure why she doesn't name any of them and this feels like a needless gimmick. I also have a little bit of a problem with pretty much every white person in the novel being a racist and every non-white person being open and friendly and accepting. While I get the point, I'm not sure this is a particularly helpful or accurate portrayal of Americans. But then again I live in Britain, not the American south, so perhaps I underestimate the depth of the divisions that side of the pond, compared with here.
gills_2022's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
carriepond's review against another edition
4.0
After finishing this, I read that Devi Laskar is a poet, which is so apparent from the lyricism of the vignettes that make up this novel. This is a short but arresting novel about the experiences of a second-generation immigrant married to an oblivious but loving white man, told as she lies bleeding in her driveway after being shot by police. It was a quick read, both because of the way the short vignettes broke up the text and because the story had a momentum to it that made me want to keep reading. Really heart-wrenching at times, and it really resonated with me.
whamydid's review against another edition
4.0
3.5
A huge thanks to Counterpoint for sending me an eARC for one of my most anticipated reads of 2019.
Devi S. Laskar has written a truly beautiful, heartbreaking book. The lyrical prose is broken into small snippets centered around The Mother. We never learn her name but we get to know her story. She is an American-born daughter of Bengali immigrant parents. She lives in the wealthy suburbs in Atlanta raising three daughters while her husband spends most of his time away from work. The book documents her struggle with racism and the hostility she has faced as a second generation immigrant.
One morning, her house is unjustifiably raided by the authorities. Standing her ground knowing she has been targeted for no reason, she is shot by a policeman. As she lies on her driveway bleeding, she reflects on the prejudice she has endured during her life.
The poetic style of writing took a little while to get used to but once I adjusted, I practically devoured this book. It is a stunning debut that exposes what it is like to be a woman of colour in the US and touches on the abuse of power by the police. It is sad think that racism is still prevalent in society today and I have had it a goal for this year to read more books around topics such as race and immigration and more by woman of colour.
This book has been stuck in my head since I finished it and I thoroughly recommend it. I've knocked a star off because of how long it took for me to adjust to the poetic writing and fragmented format.
A huge thanks to Counterpoint for sending me an eARC for one of my most anticipated reads of 2019.
Devi S. Laskar has written a truly beautiful, heartbreaking book. The lyrical prose is broken into small snippets centered around The Mother. We never learn her name but we get to know her story. She is an American-born daughter of Bengali immigrant parents. She lives in the wealthy suburbs in Atlanta raising three daughters while her husband spends most of his time away from work. The book documents her struggle with racism and the hostility she has faced as a second generation immigrant.
One morning, her house is unjustifiably raided by the authorities. Standing her ground knowing she has been targeted for no reason, she is shot by a policeman. As she lies on her driveway bleeding, she reflects on the prejudice she has endured during her life.
The poetic style of writing took a little while to get used to but once I adjusted, I practically devoured this book. It is a stunning debut that exposes what it is like to be a woman of colour in the US and touches on the abuse of power by the police. It is sad think that racism is still prevalent in society today and I have had it a goal for this year to read more books around topics such as race and immigration and more by woman of colour.
This book has been stuck in my head since I finished it and I thoroughly recommend it. I've knocked a star off because of how long it took for me to adjust to the poetic writing and fragmented format.
jaclyn_sixminutesforme's review against another edition
5.0
I picked up @devislaskar’s The Atlas of Reds and Blues during my lunch break and finished it the same evening! I don’t think I’d quite prepared myself for how swept away I’d be by this book!
It is a uniquely structured and multi-lineal narrative, and had me instantly hooked. It is a moving commentary on race in America, particularly sharing the experience of a woman of color in her own family, at work, in the community, and with the police! I read in the blurb that this is based on the author’s own terrifying experience of a police raid on her home. The chapter structure, and their brevity (sometimes consisting of one sentence) worked brilliantly and I found the Barbie commentary fascinating as it paralleled the principal narrative.
I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this book since I finished it, and was so moved by the prose and unique storytelling format used by the author to layer the complexities of this narrative. Absolutely brilliant and a stunning read!
I’d be remiss to not mention the gorgeous cover, designed by @nlcaputo 🙌🏻. Thanks to @counterpointpress for sending this copy my way.😘
It is a uniquely structured and multi-lineal narrative, and had me instantly hooked. It is a moving commentary on race in America, particularly sharing the experience of a woman of color in her own family, at work, in the community, and with the police! I read in the blurb that this is based on the author’s own terrifying experience of a police raid on her home. The chapter structure, and their brevity (sometimes consisting of one sentence) worked brilliantly and I found the Barbie commentary fascinating as it paralleled the principal narrative.
I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this book since I finished it, and was so moved by the prose and unique storytelling format used by the author to layer the complexities of this narrative. Absolutely brilliant and a stunning read!
I’d be remiss to not mention the gorgeous cover, designed by @nlcaputo 🙌🏻. Thanks to @counterpointpress for sending this copy my way.😘
c_allisonjones's review against another edition
3.0
I loved what the author had to say and I loved the way in which she said it (lyrically and poetically) but I was constantly thrown off by the literal structure of the book. There didn’t seem to be much fluidity or cohesiveness to the “recollections” being told. The racism portrayed in the book seemed to come across very conventionalized. In my opinion as a WOC, there were so many layers that could have been explored that were left unchartered. The synopsis draws you in because you want to know the details of WHY the police raid her home (aside from the obvious prejudice) but most of the book was spent alternating rather randomly between the past (focused on character building, I assume?) I was left wondering “why?” and “what does this have to do with anything?” after every few pages. The story just never solidified for me.