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megobrien81's review
2.0
I really wanted to love this book, but just don’t. I almost stopped reading a few times, but really wanted to see it through. There are some beautiful moments and some incredible lines written into the story. But the format and some of the ways the story feels disjointed was hard for me. I’ve read a few reviews from folks who felt the disjointed writing style enhanced how Ava is navigating life through her mental illness and some of the circumstances thrown at her…but it didn’t land that way for me. This is not an easy story, there is a lot of trauma the characters experience and then have to life with. The story wasn’t what bothered me, I think it was more the structure. There are long passages of description where not much action happens.
Not my favorite read. Not even close.
Not my favorite read. Not even close.
jules32reads's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
kcutchlow's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Ayana does not miss!
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book!
The Unsettled captured my attention from the very first page to the very last word. It is a unique treasure that deftly combines the intricacies of familial ties, human emotions, and the indisputable impact of our past on the present.
My first true 5-star star of 2024!!
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book!
The Unsettled captured my attention from the very first page to the very last word. It is a unique treasure that deftly combines the intricacies of familial ties, human emotions, and the indisputable impact of our past on the present.
My first true 5-star star of 2024!!
lit_vibrations's review
4.0
It took me awhile to do this review because I really had to sit with my thoughts after reading this. I don’t know where to begin but I can say the author picked the perfect title for the book because I was definitely left unsettled and confused.
The novel is told in three alternating perspectives between Ava, Dutchess, and Toussaint taking us deeper into each of their lives. Through each viewpoint we see them experience hardship, heartbreak, loss, failure, grief, and pain. It was unsettling to see how things continued to get worse for these characters before anything got better. By the end of the book I found myself only sympathizing with Toussaint. Nobody knows the true pain one has experienced until their story is told.
Mathis explores the consequences of irrational decisions, the depths of poor parenting passed from generation to generation, the dangers of co-dependency, and how our actions can have an everlasting impact on our life and those around us.
The authors vivid details really helped paint a clear picture of what was happening throughout the book. I did feel some things were out of place and didn’t really make sense. But nothing about the book was predictable I could really feel the authenticity and realism throughout. The emotions and dialogue was depicted in a way that made this all seem too real. Which I think added a lot of richness and depth to the characters.
I didn’t agree with half the things Ava did and felt she was doing to Toussiant exactly what her mother had done to her. Basically creating this never ending cycle of trauma. Can’t say which situation was worse for Ava living in the shelter or dealing with Cass and the mass amount of BS that came with him.
Overall, this was an okay book but I think the structure makes it hard to get through. I was also left with a lot of unanswered questions and felt the book ended so abruptly. Special thanks to the author and @aaknopf for my gifted copy‼️
Rating: 3.5/5⭐️
The novel is told in three alternating perspectives between Ava, Dutchess, and Toussaint taking us deeper into each of their lives. Through each viewpoint we see them experience hardship, heartbreak, loss, failure, grief, and pain. It was unsettling to see how things continued to get worse for these characters before anything got better. By the end of the book I found myself only sympathizing with Toussaint. Nobody knows the true pain one has experienced until their story is told.
Mathis explores the consequences of irrational decisions, the depths of poor parenting passed from generation to generation, the dangers of co-dependency, and how our actions can have an everlasting impact on our life and those around us.
The authors vivid details really helped paint a clear picture of what was happening throughout the book. I did feel some things were out of place and didn’t really make sense. But nothing about the book was predictable I could really feel the authenticity and realism throughout. The emotions and dialogue was depicted in a way that made this all seem too real. Which I think added a lot of richness and depth to the characters.
I didn’t agree with half the things Ava did and felt she was doing to Toussiant exactly what her mother had done to her. Basically creating this never ending cycle of trauma. Can’t say which situation was worse for Ava living in the shelter or dealing with Cass and the mass amount of BS that came with him.
Overall, this was an okay book but I think the structure makes it hard to get through. I was also left with a lot of unanswered questions and felt the book ended so abruptly. Special thanks to the author and @aaknopf for my gifted copy‼️
Rating: 3.5/5⭐️
cherircohen's review
4.0
Like its title, this book is unsettling. The story of 3 generations - grandmother, mother, son, and explores their choices and mistakes over the course of their lives in searching for home. Mother (Ava) left her mother (Dutchess) in Bonaparte, Alabama, a free black town that the few remaining residents are struggling to hold on to in the face of the ironically named Progress real estate development company. Ava had long ago left for the North, the Philly area, and her son (Touissant) is trying to work his way back to Alabama, an inverse of the Great Migration. Ava does not take well to mothering and is often caught up in her own troubles and drama, leaving Touissant to fend for herself. When her ex, Touissant's dad, shows up again, she again falls under his spell and moves with him to a cult-like organization (based off of the actual MOVE house in Philly in the 80s). This novel is quiet and a very slow burn. I struggled at times but glad I stuck with it. An incredible story.
skorned's review
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I never felt like anything happened; I prefer books with more plot.
kxmulligan79's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
The Unsettled is the story of Ava, her son Touissant, and her mother Dutchess. It’s set during the 1980s in Philadelphia and Alabama. Ava and Touissant end up in a homeless shelter after her abusive husband kicks her out. Ava reconnects with Cass, Touissant’s father, and they move to a community he leads focussed on Black liberation. It’s safe to say this is not the utopia they might wish it to be. Meanwhile Dutchess is struggling since Bonaparte, the Black owned town where she lives, is on the verge of extinction. The first section of the book set in the family shelter was probably my favourite. I found the conditions in the shelter, the attitudes of the staff and the bureaucracy surrounding it to be both infuriating and eye-opening. This book had a lot to say about race and the many ways it affects the lives of Black Americans, and about intergenerational trauma, how one event can affect those not even born when it occurred. By and large it is a depressing read, although there is a glimmer of hope for the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Gun violence, and Police brutality
killerpancake's review
challenging
emotional
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
4.5
This was charged with so much fear and anxiety it was hard to read and hard to not read. Mathis is so incredible with characters and it made it so hard to watch people you were rooting for make terrible decisions over and over again.
I could write forever about Ava and her lack of self-preservation. Her story is so hard to wrap my head around and yet it’s also unique and well executed.
The ending went where I thought it might but felt really abrupt. The closure didn’t really explain everything that I was curious about. It just felt rushed I guess.
This is very different from her first book but I’m really glad I stuck with this to its tragic and conflicting end.
I could write forever about Ava and her lack of self-preservation. Her story is so hard to wrap my head around and yet it’s also unique and well executed.
The ending went where I thought it might but felt really abrupt. The closure didn’t really explain everything that I was curious about. It just felt rushed I guess.
This is very different from her first book but I’m really glad I stuck with this to its tragic and conflicting end.