Reviews tagging 'Mass/school shootings'

The Office of Historical Corrections by Danielle Evans

12 reviews

billyjepma's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective 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? Yes

4.25

This was really, really good in a way that snuck up on me. Each story is good on its own, but when linked together in the collection their shared thematics, anxieties, and ideals evolve into something far richer and toothier. Evans’ writing is excellent; not flashy, but measured and lovely and naturalistic. I wish the endings for the short stories weren’t quite as abrupt as they are, admittedly. However, even that abruptness (mostly) aligns with Evans’ presentation of the motivations and consequences that carve the women in her stories into the people they are. The characters make this the powerhouse it is, too. Evans has an impeccable knack for getting into the weedy, thorny interior lives of her characters, letting (forcing) her readers see why they make the choices they do, why they face the consequences they do, and, often, why the world they live in didn’t give them any choice in the first place.

This is almost a 5-star read for me, and upon reflection, might eventually climb up to it. But the final short story—the titular one—ends on a note I didn’t love. In a series of stories that felt familiar yet intimately unique, this one concludes with a bigger dramatic push that almost felt out of place. I see why Evans ended up with the ending she did, but I wanted and hoped to see her do something different, to take the roadmap of tensions she had laid out for us and show us a different outcome. All of this is undoubtedly a “me problem,” but closing the book with this specific ending left me with a sense of discontent I’m still feeling the following day. Still, this is an excellent, worthwhile read that I will be keeping on my shelf and recommending to others. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: Medical content, Classism, and Cursing

Minor: Gun violence, Stalking, and Mass/school shootings

mdwsn27's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Sexual violence, Murder, Racism, Sexual content, Gun violence, Grief, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Adult/minor relationship, Infidelity, and Mass/school shootings

helhas3letters's review against another edition

reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.0

This collection of short stories is well written, although I found a lot of the content quite depressing. I most enjoyed the story 'Why Won't Women Just Say What They Want'.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Medical content, Misogyny, and Grief

Moderate: Alcohol, Cancer, Chronic illness, Sexual content, Death, and Racism

Minor: Blood, Classism, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Police brutality, Addiction, Alcoholism, and Pregnancy

samara's review against another edition

emotional reflective

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Death, Grief, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Murder, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, and Confinement

Minor: Mass/school shootings

cheye13's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This is one of the best collections I have read in a while and definitely one of the best books I've read this year. I bumped a star because some passages were a bit too rambly for me to follow and I think the more subtle messages went over my head but, boy, were they all beautiful (if painful) to read.

★★★★★|Why Won't Women Just Say What They Want; Anything Could Disappear; The Office of Historical Corrections
★★★★|Richard of York Gave Battle in Vain; Boys Go To Jupiter
★★★|Happily Ever After; Alcatraz

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: Alcohol, Car accident, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Medical content, Racial slurs, Toxic friendship, Violence, Cancer, Confinement, Suicide, and Abandonment

Minor: Infidelity, Mass/school shootings, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Sexual content

All content is handled conscientiously and with intention.

peachani's review against another edition

challenging 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? N/A

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racial slurs, and Racism

Moderate: Cancer, Mass/school shootings, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

Minor: Murder

chloemakesbooks's review against another edition

challenging dark fast-paced

• 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

5.0

I love a good book of short stories and Danielle Evans is a master. And then she kicks you in the gut with her novella and all you can say is thank you 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Racism, and Death of parent

Moderate: Kidnapping

Minor: Mass/school shootings

thecriticalreader's review against another edition

dark sad medium-paced

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

3.75

As a history major, the title of this book piqued my interest. I didn’t realize it was a collection of short stories + a novella until after I purchased it.

 

 

Plot:

N/A

 

Characters:

All of Evans’ characters seem rather blank, as though they are floating through life passively. I think this was on purpose, and it is rather unsettling. None of them asked to be born into the messed-up world in which they live, but the past haunts them nonetheless.

 

Setting:

N/A

 

Themes:

Evans explores themes of loss, racism, and (obviously) history/the past. Her commentary is subtle but powerful. Every story is filled with pain.

 

Writing Style:

Evans is an excellent writer. I don’t really know how to describe it. Her style isn’t particularly distinctive, but it flows well and allows for the themes to seep through. She certainly comes up with creative ideas for her stories.

 

Conclusion:

The Office of Historical Corrections is well-written and powerful. Unfortunately, I did not give it the time it deserved simply because I didn’t want to spend my time with something so sad. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Racism, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Murder, Infidelity, and Drug use

Minor: Mass/school shootings

honeyhistory103's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-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? Yes

3.5

This is a beautifully written collection. The stories are reflective and thought-provoking, and have an emotion to them that laces itself between each carefully chosen word. The close dealing with race and womanhood, and often the intersection of those things, makes it feel intimately familiar, as if the characters in the stories are people that live just down the block. Evans writes characters that are painfully realistic, neither all good nor all bad, but simply human.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, Suicide, Grief, Misogyny, Death, Death of parent, and Hate crime

Moderate: Violence and Car accident

Minor: Mass/school shootings

caseythereader's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny reflective tense 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? Yes

5.0

- Every single story in this collection feels like it could be its own novel, and yet somehow I am not left wanting more from any of them - they are all perfectly self-contained.
- Some feel ripped from modern headlines (Boys Go to Jupiter) and some are steeped in family history (Alcatraz) but every one feels populated with real people and real history.
- And when everyone tells you the novella that closes this book is phenomenal, everyone is right - holy cats, wow! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Car accident, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, and Violence