Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

The Kindest Lie by Nancy Johnson

4 reviews

blackcatkai's review

challenging emotional sad slow-paced

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

4.0

CW: racism, casual ableism, pregnancy & birth (graphic/on page), violence, alcohol use, drug use mentioned, gun violence, police brutality, death of a parent mentioned, infertility & miscarriage mentioned, classism, bullying, violence, child abuse

this type of contemporary isn't usually my go-to, so I had a bit of a hard time getting into it, but overall a really good read. Johnson has a way with words and I'd be interested in what she writes next.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Violence, Bullying, Blood, Gun violence, Racial slurs, and Racism

Moderate: Child abuse, Alcohol, and Classism

Minor: Miscarriage, Toxic relationship, Ableism, Drug use, Death of parent, Infidelity, Infertility, and Sexual content

kimveach's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective 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
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

The best parts of this book were the intimate exchanges between the characters and the descriptions of everyday life.  The book fell short when it added in social commentary that was disguised as reflective thought.  It is hard to believe that the character would have such clarity of thought at that moment.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death of parent, Racial slurs, Racism, Blood, Classism, Abandonment, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Medical content, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Death, Alcohol, Police brutality, and Terminal illness

Minor: Infidelity

alyx_d's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-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? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Hate crime, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Racism

Moderate: Murder, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, and Alcoholism

Minor: Infidelity, Miscarriage, Cursing, Gun violence, Drug abuse, and Drug use

seawarrior's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

The Kindest Lie skillfully weaves together the experiences and perspectives of multiple characters in a floundering small town to present a novel where there are no easy answers. Johnson excels at giving her characters unique voices and slowly unraveling their life story to explain who they've become and why. Ironically, the character I felt least compelled by was Ruth. Her naivety and lack of planning frustrated me at times, while in other scenarios her dialogue read too perfect to believe a real person would react how she was. Luckily by the end of the book I felt like Ruth had matured into accepting more responsibility for herself while still speaking her truth. Otherwise, I thought each of the characters were written very authentically, and that Johnson obviously did the research to ensure they would be. The book was much less dramatic than I had expected it to be, which isn't a negative feature. Instead of using flashy, scandalous tropes, Johnson grabs the reader's attention by pitting Ruth's differing responsibilities against each other to a devastating effect. Ultimately, this is a story about the weight of the sacrifices families must make to protect their youngest members, and how Black families are always expected to sacrifice more. I would recommend this book to other readers, especially those looking for stories with multifaceted narratives about race and class in the United States.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Pregnancy, Racism, and Grief

Moderate: Hate crime, Police brutality, Death of parent, Child death, and Murder

Minor: Miscarriage, Addiction, Drug abuse, Alcohol, Infidelity, and Infertility