Reviews

Stories from the Tenants Downstairs by Sidik Fofana

sydapel's review

emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

3.5

Like any collection of stories, some of these I liked more than others, but what I found really compelling is how effectively these fictional accounts show the good, the bad and the ugly when it comes to low-income/subsidized housing in America. In particular, how easy it is for the system to work against you or how one expense or incident can have catastrophic effects on a basic need. The audiobook cast in this is also excellent, it's almost like listening to a podcast series it feels so immersive and personal. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Racism, Bullying, and Sexism

stone_cold_kat's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

boomeraang's review

3.75

a solid, enjoyable read 😊  like most short story collections, some chapters were stronger than others. it was cool seeing the connections between all the stories ✨however despite all the connections, i felt like all the characters lacked a sense of community? if that makes any sense. im not sure if the characters were really as “tight-knit” as the blurb would suggest. it kinda just felt like the characters were all aware of each other’s existence. but not gonna lower my rating because of my preference for the found family. perhaps the lack of emphasis on found families was a deliberate choice to demonstrate how landlord practices impair community-building but idk 🤷🏻‍♀️ money is so evil and this book will not let you forget that!

i would highly recommend the audiobook 🎧 all the different voice actors did such a fantastic job at capturing each character❤️‍🩹

googie_puvdan's review against another edition

4.0

Covering a range of characters and emotions fluidly throughout chapters.

sidhes_reading_again's review

challenging emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

courtney_mm's review

emotional funny medium-paced

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

3.5

bookfrog508's review against another edition

2.75

While I can see the value in this book, I found it to be quite boring.  The author is very skilled at creating all the different voices of the various characters, it just wasn’t for me.

ali_oops's review against another edition

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

2.5

frietje9's review against another edition

challenging inspiring fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

eeefann125's review

adventurous emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0