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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Not all books are easy, fun reads. Reading should be fun, but it isn't always. Sometimes, a book is a journey you've never been on with unfamiliar roads winding down strange paths and you're not sure what to make of it. I'm not used to reading books like this one. The closest one I can think of is Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, and that book is about a boy who lost his father during 9/11 and goes on a journey to unlock the secrets his father left him. But even that book had a lot more humor despite its sadness.
This book hurt my feelings. I wasn't offended. I wasn't grasping at my chest. But I felt pangs of guilt and hurt as I read it. This is a book that feels real. There's fictional logic, but the characters feel so real in the most heartwrenching ways possible. They don't feel like characters who grow and develop. They're people with habits and vices and instincts they cannot shed.
The writing style, chock full of metaphors and similes that marvel you with their specificity, aligns well with the emotions the author aims to evoke in you. None of those are positive emotions. The closest to positive you can get is wonder.
The past, present, and future coexist in this book. Of course, concerning the racial commentary in this book and the talk of ancestors and lady gods, it's inspired by other works by Black authors and thinkers.
This isn't a book you can have a favorite character in. It's an exploration of every character, dead or alive be damned. The animosity between Jojo and Leonie is painful to read in its excruciating detail. Generational trauma bleeds into inherited traits and growing pains. Nature is a character in this book, too. There is a plot, yes, but that takes a backseat (we spend a lot of the book in a car), to the character's inner worlds.
I don't necessarily know whether I'll remember this book super well. I wasn't sure I'd even finish it if it weren't for the fact that I borrowed it from the library for a limited time. Maybe I'm too stupid to really understand all the meaning packed into every metaphor. This is a book about grief, regret, appreciation of nature, a broken family tortured by the world's fallacies in terms of race, poverty, prejudice, and something as striking as cancer.
This book hurt my feelings. I wasn't offended. I wasn't grasping at my chest. But I felt pangs of guilt and hurt as I read it. This is a book that feels real. There's fictional logic, but the characters feel so real in the most heartwrenching ways possible. They don't feel like characters who grow and develop. They're people with habits and vices and instincts they cannot shed.
The writing style, chock full of metaphors and similes that marvel you with their specificity, aligns well with the emotions the author aims to evoke in you. None of those are positive emotions. The closest to positive you can get is wonder.
The past, present, and future coexist in this book. Of course, concerning the racial commentary in this book and the talk of ancestors and lady gods, it's inspired by other works by Black authors and thinkers.
This isn't a book you can have a favorite character in. It's an exploration of every character, dead or alive be damned. The animosity between Jojo and Leonie is painful to read in its excruciating detail. Generational trauma bleeds into inherited traits and growing pains. Nature is a character in this book, too. There is a plot, yes, but that takes a backseat (we spend a lot of the book in a car), to the character's inner worlds.
I don't necessarily know whether I'll remember this book super well. I wasn't sure I'd even finish it if it weren't for the fact that I borrowed it from the library for a limited time. Maybe I'm too stupid to really understand all the meaning packed into every metaphor. This is a book about grief, regret, appreciation of nature, a broken family tortured by the world's fallacies in terms of race, poverty, prejudice, and something as striking as cancer.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
hopeful
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:
Yes
medium-paced
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Whew, this one was a ride. Had me raising my eyebrows like hold on now who are the kids and mom talking to because it’s not each other. And it wasn’t…they all saw ghost. It’s deep, layered, and definitely thought-provoking, but I’ll be honest it just wasn’t fully my vibe. It was beautifully written but I just didn’t click with it.
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I didn't enjoy reading this, I'm not sure you're supposed to. It was full of horror and darkness - not the kind I'd usually read. I felt drained and rather hopeless when I finished.
Still, it is very well written and has so many layers that it will no doubt stay with me for a long while.
Still, it is very well written and has so many layers that it will no doubt stay with me for a long while.
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
incredible storytelling. I can't really summarize it and do this book justice. absolutely heartfelt and powerful. listen to the audiobook - the different voices really bring each character to life in a very visceral way.
This was good but the ending was a bit unsatisfying