Reviews with content warning for Racial slurs - Assembly

Reviews tagging 'Racial slurs'

Assembly by Natasha Brown

50 reviews

introvertsbookclub's review against another edition

dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.5

I am always so impressed by writers who can so precisely and vividly portray real life and everyday moments. Whose writing feels so natural and familiar. This is an astonishingly good book.

It is also a shocking read – in the way it is written, direct, unflinching and uncovering the hidden abuse and trauma lurking within British society; and in the plot itself. Despite that, there was something comforting in the protagonist’s nihilism, it gave permission to similar feelings of despair in the face of modern reincarnations of violence.

The novel was the perfect blend of personal and political, in that it showed that the two can never be separated. Each moment was informed by centuries of racism and colonialism; it was a story of the history of racism enacted on one body and the ways that person is trapped within racism and made complicit through their attempt to survive the system. It was complex and critical and an incredible pick for Black History Month.

Content Warnings

hypocrisis's review against another edition

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dark reflective fast-paced

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

4.0

hard to stomach, in a good way.
more like poetry than a novel, really enjoyed the style. natasha brown knows people and how to cut to their core quickly.
there are many great quotes from this book, yet this one found its way into this unfairly brief review simply because i opened my notes app immediately upon reading it, starting the collection of quotations from assembly.

p.21
"Victimhood is a choice," Rach said. Part opinion, part mantra.

while the narrator is describing her best friend here, as the book unfolds it becomes apparent that - although they are not affected in the same way and navigate this differently - both women repress their true feelings, in the narrator's case going so for as to alter her personality, to survive an inhospitable environment (until she chooses to stop surviving).

edit: I still find myself thinking a lot about this book and i don't think it was entirely random of me to elaborate on this particular quote, though it must've been subconscious at the time which I'm slightly embarrassed about. Only now do i realise how much of the protagonists' perspective is revealed within those sentences and how they literally foreshadow the plot.

I can't do this book justice... but if you're thinking about reading it you really should!

Content Warnings

agedmordorblue's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad fast-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

5.0

Viscerally brutal and painful to read, yet beautifully written. Especially the complete dissociation of the narrator with her body is extremely jarring. It's a haunting account of the effects of prejudice and discrimination have on the mind and body and clearly shows the pervasive nature of racism in our society.

Content Warnings