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lizlikesfrogs's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality, Abandonment, Alcohol, Racial slurs, Violence, and Alcoholism
alyssatuininga's review against another edition
4.0
When I first started this I wasn't enjoying it. Eventually it pulled me in and the story really made me want to keep going. I don't live his style, I wonder if this started as a play or movie script. The dialogue is weird and tough to follow. In the long run it was the characters that kept me invested.
akamm's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 but I generally liked the book so I'll round up
The first part of this book felt like a memoir more than just a fictional tale. I enjoyed the short scenes from Claude's life growing up. There was flowing prose and glimpses of characters that described the person in a short time. I also enjoyed the dialog in this book because even though it felt a little disjointed, it felt like real conversations I've had in my life -- where people are saying what they want but not listening to the other parties.
I kind of lost interest in the story in the mid to end of part 2. It just became too ridiculous too quickly.
Overall, I liked Claude as a character because he wasn't extraordinary -- he's just a boy growing into a man who has to figure out where he wants to go in life. I think most of us can relate.
The first part of this book felt like a memoir more than just a fictional tale. I enjoyed the short scenes from Claude's life growing up. There was flowing prose and glimpses of characters that described the person in a short time. I also enjoyed the dialog in this book because even though it felt a little disjointed, it felt like real conversations I've had in my life -- where people are saying what they want but not listening to the other parties.
I kind of lost interest in the story in the mid to end of part 2. It just became too ridiculous too quickly.
Overall, I liked Claude as a character because he wasn't extraordinary -- he's just a boy growing into a man who has to figure out where he wants to go in life. I think most of us can relate.
susanreadstheworld's review against another edition
2.0
It starts well. It punches.
It gets ruined by Janice and a dull (despite the guns and clashing social groups) rambling end.
It gets ruined by Janice and a dull (despite the guns and clashing social groups) rambling end.
bethnellvaccaro's review against another edition
3.0
I can't decide if it is the writing style of this book that I didn't like, or it the characters just weren't developed. The subject matter is good, I just felt like I never got to really know the main character Claude, although we can infer from his actions. The word I would use to describe the book is frenetic, like a million things were happening, gaining in outlandish nature and wildness, but not really adding up to a page turner or something coherent.
So, I am not sure if this is just the style, I read one review that called the book postmodern, or if the book is just not developed. It might just be my taste. I think a lot of people will really enjoy this book. There is a lot of good stuff said, I just kept waiting for the book to slow down and to make some emotional connection.
So, I am not sure if this is just the style, I read one review that called the book postmodern, or if the book is just not developed. It might just be my taste. I think a lot of people will really enjoy this book. There is a lot of good stuff said, I just kept waiting for the book to slow down and to make some emotional connection.
serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Everywhere You Don’t Belong is a coming of age novel of a young Black man. It is set in Chicago’s South Side and clearly highlights the intersection and impact of poverty, gangs, drugs, police violence and an unstable home life. I mostly enjoyed this book except for the short choppy dialogue where seemingly every sentence ended with the speaker tag. I’ve been known to complain about the trend towards omitting speech marks etc. But I listened to this on audio and it was hard on the ears. “Two to three word sentence,” said person one, followed by “one or two word sentence,” said person two, followed by “another very short sentence,” said person one etc etc. Some of the tags could have been varied or omitted to no ill effect. I’m unsure if this would have been less annoying in print.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality, Racism, and Violence
lindzjb's review
dark
funny
tense
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? No
3.75
ashandtheink's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.5
phippsmr's review
3.0
I don't know how to feel.
It's a super fast read for one, which I like. It's nice to be able to seamlessly read along and there's not a lot of books that pretty much entirely let you do that.
I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place because it introduced a lot of great characters and situations, but the depth was nearly nonexistent.
First, the dialogue. It reads really fast but it's also very choppy and leaves a lot to be desired. A lot of the depth in pretty much every character is almost nonexistent, I still couldn't tell you what any of them are motivated by.
The first half was better than the second, I didn't love the Missouri portion. Claude's desires are never explained or discussed, he just seems vaguely miserable the entire time.
This is screaming postmodernism, which is probably part of the reason for me not necessarily loving it. I kind of crave a message or meaning or some time of ending, otherwise it just seems like nothing happened.
I'd say it's like a 3.5 stars?
It's a super fast read for one, which I like. It's nice to be able to seamlessly read along and there's not a lot of books that pretty much entirely let you do that.
I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place because it introduced a lot of great characters and situations, but the depth was nearly nonexistent.
First, the dialogue. It reads really fast but it's also very choppy and leaves a lot to be desired. A lot of the depth in pretty much every character is almost nonexistent, I still couldn't tell you what any of them are motivated by.
The first half was better than the second, I didn't love the Missouri portion. Claude's desires are never explained or discussed, he just seems vaguely miserable the entire time.
This is screaming postmodernism, which is probably part of the reason for me not necessarily loving it. I kind of crave a message or meaning or some time of ending, otherwise it just seems like nothing happened.
I'd say it's like a 3.5 stars?