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readincolour's review against another edition
4.0
A bit of an abrupt ending, so more like a 4.5 but not a 5.
kxmulligan79's review against another edition
2.0
Every story line in this book felt unfinished. It felt as though predictable events were added just for drama but never fully fleshed out so they didn't add anything to the story. I don't understand her husband's position on Haiti, what happened between her and the pastor, and even the issue between her and the parents, nothing was fully explained. I was very disappointed because I had high expectations for this book.
mindfullibrarian's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars • I requested this title for review because I am woefully under-read on Haiti, and a book written by a Haitian about the earthquake in Haiti in 2010 sounded like JUST the book to change that status. Written almost like a novella, this 200 page story (also set in Baltimore) is an incredibly fast read while managing to pack in more grief and drama that I would have thought possible. While at times overly descriptive and more dramatic than I perhaps would prefer, MOUTHS still exposed me to two worlds fairly new to me - Haiti and that of a former US Marine suffering from PTSD. Although both of these, in my opinion, could have been fleshed out much more to create a longer work, they combined for a fast-paced and heartbreaking story.
If you are looking to expand your reading and prioritize #ownvoices stories (as I do), add this one to your reading list.
Thanks to Akashic Books for the review copy!
If you are looking to expand your reading and prioritize #ownvoices stories (as I do), add this one to your reading list.
Thanks to Akashic Books for the review copy!
aekua's review against another edition
5.0
This is a beautiful and achingly heartbreaking novel set in the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti.
yanulya's review against another edition
3.0
I vacillated between 2 & 3 stars. I had high hopes for it and the subject matter had a lot of potential. But it wasn't quite realized. The writing had moments of clarity & beauty, yet other moments where it fell into choppy cliche descriptions or just didn't feel believable. It was the emotions throughout that bumped it up to 2.5 territory, and the glimmers of insight into minds & hearts in situations I haven't experienced. I'd be interested to read a 3rd or 4th novel by her.
cleches's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-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
2.75
shaniquekee's review against another edition
5.0
I have SO MANY FEELINGS about this book. So many. Jacqueline and Kevin and Annette and Paul are such complex characters, yet they aren't really. There's so much here about loss and hurt and family and marriage and relationships and wealth and tradition. It made me happy and upset and angry and squicky and sad and hopeful and satisfied and much more. This is one of those books where you sit down to read the first few pages and look up 84 pages later wondering what happened. Katia Ulysse sets the stage well and guides us through to the end. She breaks your heart and puts it back together again, over and over, in a mere 200 pages.
artene's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
shallihavemydwarf's review against another edition
1.0
This book is not good. There is a lot of pain in these pages, but none of it is allowed to breathe, some of it is not dealt with well, and some is introduced briefly only to never be explained or brought up again.
Spoilers, if you can call them that, to follow.
At the beginning this book is about a Haitian ex-pat dealing with the fallout of the 2010 earthquake. We linger in that pain for about the first 50 pages but then her parents are abruptly alive but they didn’t tell her right away and a year has passed.
Her husband also has PTSD, and that definitely is not given its chance to breathe. There’s some religious trauma that’s mentioned once and never again, and obviously there’s the stuff with her parents that gets the most space but not enough as its should.
And then she goes to Haiti and her husband is really angry because he thinks its not safe, and although he’s acting awful apparently he’s totally justified because she lets her 3 year old daughter drown in a pool the second day there, which is the point at which I was done with this book.
Yes, good fiction writers do mine the depths of pain in their work. But pain itself is not a substitute for depth.
Spoilers, if you can call them that, to follow.
At the beginning this book is about a Haitian ex-pat dealing with the fallout of the 2010 earthquake. We linger in that pain for about the first 50 pages but then her parents are abruptly alive but they didn’t tell her right away and a year has passed.
Her husband also has PTSD, and that definitely is not given its chance to breathe. There’s some religious trauma that’s mentioned once and never again, and obviously there’s the stuff with her parents that gets the most space but not enough as its should.
And then she goes to Haiti and her husband is really angry because he thinks its not safe, and although he’s acting awful apparently he’s totally justified because she lets her 3 year old daughter drown in a pool the second day there, which is the point at which I was done with this book.
Yes, good fiction writers do mine the depths of pain in their work. But pain itself is not a substitute for depth.