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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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Medical content, Classism, and Cursing
Minor: Gun violence, Stalking, and Mass/school shootings
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