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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
Though it's a novel, it paints a very realistic picture of how kids, parents, grandparents and the outside world all interact together through active addiction. And racism. It's sad most of all.
This is an absolutely stunning novel, dripping with regret, shame, and devotion. I am so excited to read Ward’s other works.
This was a hard story about addiction and parenting and poverty and race--one I haven't read before, and one that pushed and stretched my empathy. I felt like I was flinching the whole time--it was hard to read about this mother from the children's perspective, hard to watch the choices and risks she takes.
I loved the different chapters from different perspectives--so effective to round out the characters-- and the complexity of the haunting/ghost metaphor (one particular image of a haunted tree will stick with me for a long time).
The ghost story element parallels Toni Morrison's BELOVED in powerful ways, since it brings that symbolism into the 21st century (new time, echoes of the same old problems). Now I want to go back and re-read my favorite Morrison novels! Totally different tone, but some similar themes.
I loved the different chapters from different perspectives--so effective to round out the characters-- and the complexity of the haunting/ghost metaphor (one particular image of a haunted tree will stick with me for a long time).
The ghost story element parallels Toni Morrison's BELOVED in powerful ways, since it brings that symbolism into the 21st century (new time, echoes of the same old problems). Now I want to go back and re-read my favorite Morrison novels! Totally different tone, but some similar themes.
dark
emotional
reflective
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
27. (non potrò mai dimenticare questo libro)
"This the kind of world, Mama told me when I got my period when I was twelve, that makes fools of the living and saints of them once they dead. And devils them throughout. Even though the words were harsh, I saw hope in her face when she said them. She thought that if she taught me as much herbal healing as she could, if she gave me a map to the world as she knew it, a world plotted orderly by divine order, spirit in everything, I could navigate it. But I resented her when I was young, resented her for the lessons and the misplaced hope. And later, for still believing in good in a world that cursed her with cancer, that twisted her limp as an old dry rag and left her to disintegrate." (105)
"This the kind of world, Mama told me when I got my period when I was twelve, that makes fools of the living and saints of them once they dead. And devils them throughout. Even though the words were harsh, I saw hope in her face when she said them. She thought that if she taught me as much herbal healing as she could, if she gave me a map to the world as she knew it, a world plotted orderly by divine order, spirit in everything, I could navigate it. But I resented her when I was young, resented her for the lessons and the misplaced hope. And later, for still believing in good in a world that cursed her with cancer, that twisted her limp as an old dry rag and left her to disintegrate." (105)
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Racism
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I can’t say I liked this book because it was sad and hard to experience from start to finish, but I appreciate how well it was written and the window into the experience of Blacks in rural America. I’m not super keen on ghost stories but I have read other books that have highlighted the importance of ghosts in Black culture so I thought it was an interesting approach to include as characters in the story, even as one of the narrators.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes