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gandalf_a's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Death, Grief, Genocide, Slavery, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Violence, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Suicide attempt, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, War, and Mental illness
Minor: Eating disorder, Self harm, Racism, Blood, Animal death, Child death, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, and Fire/Fire injury
gabepants's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Racism, Death, Slavery, and Child death
culpeppper's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
- The metaphors were immense, sometimes clever and sometimes a little too on the nose, but largely the use of weaving those metaphors into the story was done well and enhanced the reading experience. As an example, the descriptions in the underwater mimic the setting, relying on feelings and ideas to form the world before Yetu goes to the surface where descriptions change to more solid things rather than concepts.
- The story has multiple perspectives. Though I do feel it worked thematically to have these other perspectives, and the stories they told enhanced our perspective, but it was always jarring and confusing in a way that took me a bit out of the story sometimes.
- It's a work of creative wonder, filled with countless concepts, and it's inspired me to read more of Solomon's work so I can have a longer experience that I think will suit their style of writing better.
Overall, there were some things it lacked that could have built out the world a bit more, and the pacing felt weird and off at times, I think that's partially the form and maybe some stylistic elements I don't fully understand. But I liked the experience of this world, of this look into our world, and the use of history and remembering as critical to it. It's not perfect, but it's pretty good.
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Abandonment, Genocide, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Grief, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
Moderate: Xenophobia, Colonisation, Animal death, and Confinement
Minor: War, Child death, and Fire/Fire injury
bucketsjen's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Has themes of cultural, generational, and personal trauma, the pain of being the only one who Knows and Understands, and processing/healing to move forward. It's REALLY well done. While the subject matter is heavy, it's managed deftly and the book is surprisingly healing to read.
I really recommend the audiobook for this one. Daveed Diggs does an incredible job, and the work's musical history really lends it to auditory retelling. There's an Afterward by Diggs which was an awesome addition to the story (he's funny and insightful).
Graphic: Slavery and Grief
Moderate: Child death, Violence, Self harm, Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Death
Animal death, Attempted suicide, Grief, Hallucinations, Slavery (past), Self-harm, Trauma (personal, generational, cultural), violence, references to familial death.numerous_bees's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Abandonment, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Death, Ableism, Panic attacks/disorders, Animal death, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Violence
Moderate: Death, Colonisation, Blood, Child death, Slavery, Genocide, Pregnancy, and Animal death
Minor: Racism, Sexual content, and Fire/Fire injury
biobeetle's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Body horror, Blood, and Colonisation
Moderate: Medical content, War, Suicide attempt, Death, Violence, Pregnancy, and Racism
Minor: Child death
tessamd's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Moderate: Pregnancy, Child death, Death, Racism, Slavery, and Suicidal thoughts
charrlee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
"'What is belonging?' we ask.
She says, 'Where loneliness ends.'" (Solomon 49)
"How disorienting it is to go most of your life wondering about a thing, only to happen upon the answer, and it is a horror." (Solomon 57).
River Solomon's novella is profoundly atmospheric. I've never connected to a work so deeply and I will continue to be spellbound by Solomon's beautifully tragic narrative. Listen to "The Deep" by clipping. to see the inspiration and building of the mythos. I am thrilled for my future reread.
Graphic: Grief, Hate crime, Genocide, Murder, Child death, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
mmestitches's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Moderate: Racism, Body horror, Death, Genocide, Colonisation, Classism, Child death, Misogyny, and Physical abuse
kiingalysha's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Moderate: Slavery, Death, Pregnancy, Violence, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Child death and Fire/Fire injury