Reviews tagging 'Death'

Nightcrawling: A Novel by Leila Mottley

73 reviews

savvylit's review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-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? It's complicated

4.5

Nightcrawling is a heart-wrenching book about a young woman who is forced to grow up much too soon. Kiara's life is defined by losses of every kind. Her trauma stacks and stacks yet she never has a chance to process any of it. Because she has to be responsible. For herself. For her brother. For Trevor. For the needs of the awful johns she meets on the street. For other sex workers.

In Kiara, Mottley has created one of the most memorable and multi-dimensional characters in recent memory. Kiara is compassionate, creative, fierce, vulnerable, naive, and savvy. It's not often that readers gain such empathetic first-person insight into all the ways that a society fails young Black women. That in itself is an additional failure - the way the publishing industry rarely gives priority to voices such as Mottley's.

Kiara reminds readers that the only real thing that any of us are guaranteed is the few core people we love and who love us back. This is especially true for young Black women like Kiara, who know that most of the world outside has no interest in protecting them.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual violence, Sexism, Police brutality, Death, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, and Death of parent

Moderate: Trafficking and Suicide

syds_shelves's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

I really fucking liked nightcrawling. it was so sad throughout that I took a 3 week break from reading it. I have two younger brothers so anything with a young boy that needs protecting is immediately gonna crack my heart open. The last 3 pages also beat me down in a way I wasn’t expecting BECAUSE the end wasn’t that bad? I’m not sure if i’ve been hearing too many folks say the ending really hurt them or what but… I feel like this reality is very true and near for a lot of black folks so I was not hurt or surprised more than I am by being black every day in a country that doesn’t give a shit about me. Maybe it’s all the open ends and “what happens to ___” that has left folks reeling but, again, cannot say. 

That aside, the book??? It felt like my emotions were getting jumped every single page. There was nearly no relief, but I couldn’t stop reading. I think this book is very similar stylistically to The Hate U Give (A lot of colorful background characters that aren’t fully fleshed out, a lot of strong values and beliefs presented from the author through the main character, and a deep love for where the characters come from. You can tell Leila has a deep love for Oakland) until it’s not. Some of this prose is for sure over written and flowery but fuck did it knock me out of my shoes. Because who would think to pair the blows of poverty, trafficking, and how generally deplorable police are with language like this.

There are other parts where I read and was like “yeah, this feels like a debut by a young author” in the kindest way. There is always room for growth, and I think this is also the unfortunate result of reading a heavily talked about Oprah/Booksta book. She’s made a fan of me and i’ll ABSOLUTELY be back for her next ones.

I get why this book was what it was, but personally I do wish it had more black joy. Take it or leave it, but there is so much misery and awfulness going on that I think you have black books for white folks and black books for black folks. The difference between The Help or a Tyler Perry production and a James Baldwin or Toni Morrison. Sad, but loving black folks vs sad and putting that on display for folks who don’t know black people irl, people who don’t watch the news, people who aren’t tapped in to politics, etc. This didn’t feel like the former, but it wasn’t quite at the ladder for me. A weird limbo. I think when writing truth to power for all these stories for and about black folks, I personally as a reader value something to pull your head above water.

The characters, I wanted to love but so many of them felt cut short just as i was beginning to know them. The really bad ones felt super hallow and like they were there to serve only a purpose and get you to the next few pages. This is where it can get hard to critique something based on a true story. Something that happens every day more gruesome than even described here. idk I guess all i’m saying is being black every day prepared me for this ending but not the things leading up to it. The book itself was very good, and I have high hopes for what will come next. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Violence, Alcohol, Child abuse, Classism, Misogyny, Addiction, Cursing, Death, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Trafficking, Vomit, Gun violence, Self harm, Death of parent, Drug use, Sexual harassment, Blood, and Rape

bookishcori's review against another edition

dark emotional sad fast-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault and Police brutality

Minor: Racism, Death, Child death, and Blood

caseythereader's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Death, Domestic abuse, Child death, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Murder, Physical abuse, Suicide attempt, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Cursing, Excrement, Grief, Addiction, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicide, Vomit, Police brutality, Rape, Trafficking, Violence, Alcohol, Blood, and Child abuse

readingfortomorrow's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-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

5.0

I’ve never wanted someone to forge a resume for CVS so badly

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Racism, Physical abuse, Drug abuse, Death, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Violence, Police brutality, Child abuse, Adult/minor relationship, and Abandonment

infectiousreading's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-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? No

4.0

Nightcrawling
Leila Mottley
BR @margauxreadit

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Drug abuse, Death, Child death, and Adult/minor relationship

nialiversuch's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad 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? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Classism, Grief, Sexual violence, Child death, Cursing, Death, Police brutality, Rape, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Addiction

Moderate: Vomit, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Forced institutionalization, Blood, and Excrement

lklitup's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

5.0

The praise on the cover of this novel by Tommy Orange is spot-on; every page of this book is remarkable. Leila Mottley’s writing is dense but lyrical. I was completely engrossed. Kiara seemingly occupied two different worlds but still wholly herself, someone who protects, provides, and loves as best she can. She is enough— for herself, Trevor, Marcus, Alé— even though she worries she isn’t. I could have read hundreds more pages. I will be waiting for anything Leila Mottley writes next. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Sexual assault, Police brutality, Death, Rape, Alcohol, Trafficking, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, and Sexual content

sarahmcg's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

• 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? It's complicated

4.25

I was very impressed with Leila Mottley’s debut novel. It is a heart-wrenching tale of a young girl doing everything she can to keep her family (and found family) safe, despite the sacrifices she herself has to make, and the failings of those who should have protected her. Mottley’s descriptions and prose were lyrical, and kept me reading through difficult content. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Sexual assault, Death, Child death, and Police brutality

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Trafficking, and Rape

emziesreads's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death of parent, Death, Drug abuse, Sexual violence, Violence, Suicide attempt, and Sexual assault