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leadabird's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Slavery, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Grief, Physical abuse, Suicide attempt, Racism, Sexual violence, Sexism, Suicide, Sexual harassment, Violence, and Death
Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug use, Alcohol, Abandonment, and Rape
mabelsyrup's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
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
5.0
as a non-american i wasn’t taught abt slavery in the north but i. ate. this. upp
To talk about this book eloquently i'd have to sit here and break my brain trying to come up with words to explain the messages and narrative and its characters aaagghhhh it's too much for my little brain.
But tbh this book was harrowing, it makes you look at the things that were being done through a different perspective, we always see the historical movies or documentaries but here there's a person who is (sorta) contemporary with us experiencing these things and her responses to those things. I read an article that talked about how traumas of the past will always have an effect on the present and the future; no matter how small or big the scope is, and brother when i tell you that was like putting the last puzzle piece in place... Dana's experience in this book is the personification of generational trauma, she bears the scars of her ancestors.. literally.
There are many themes in this book, aside from the obvious slavery and trauma responses, like Unhealthy attachments, gender roles, contempt, violence, despondency and the numbness that people feel toward racism and slavery because "it was long ago", and every single topic was interesting and engaging honestly if i had half a brain i'd write an essay on this book.
The characters are also a vital part of this book, you care for them a lot. it becomes specially troublesome when it comes to Rufus, I felt the way Dana was feeling the entire time; because we meet him so young we think that there'll be a way to rub off some of the common decency onto him and guide him away from the man he would become under his dad's influence, then we realize that we can't and Rufus is a mean, abusive, controlling, obsessive, violent bitch who can't even apologize or attempt to be a good man if there isn't something in it for him. Dana is so much better than me bc i would've used that knife loong before but i get it, she's gotta keep the timeline safe.
The ending did feel a little underwhelming, like the last 10 pages of the last chapter didn't go all out, and it had the potential for an epic ending but idk maybe that wasn't the point of this. ALSO Her last trip and the one before were 3 months from each other in Rufus' timeline and 15 days in Dana's but the trip before those was 6 years for Rufus and 8 days for Dana... the math aint mathing me thinks
"You do me courtesy of calling me what I want to be called"
"The possibility of meeting a white adult here frightened me, more than the possibility of street violence ever had at home"
"I had seen people beaten on television and in the movies. I had seen the too-red blood substitute streaked across their backs and heard their well-rehearsed screams. But I hadn't lain nearby and smelled their sweat or heard them pleading and praying, shamed before their families and themselves"
"As a kind of castaway myself, I was happy to escape into the fictional world of someone else's trouble."
"You don't have to beat people to treat them brutally"
"I never realized how easily people could be trained to accept slavery"
"even people who loved me could demand more of me than I could give-and expect their demands to be met simply because I owed them."
"That's history. It happened whether it offends you or not. Quite a bit of it offends me, but there's nothing I can do about it."
"What had I done wrong? Why was I still slave to a man who had repaid me for saving his life by nearly killing me."
"Rufus's time demanded things of me that had never been demanded before, and it could easily kill me if I did not meet its demands. That was a stark, powerful reality that the gentle conveniences and luxuries of this house, of now, could not touch"
"I realized how easy it would be for me to continue to be still and forgive him even this. So easy, in spite of all my talk. But it would be so hard to raise the knife, drive it into the flesh I had saved so many times."
"Rufus was Rufus-erratic, alternately generous and vicious. I could accept him as my ancestor, my younger brother, my friend, but not as my master, and not as my lover."
To talk about this book eloquently i'd have to sit here and break my brain trying to come up with words to explain the messages and narrative and its characters aaagghhhh it's too much for my little brain.
But tbh this book was harrowing, it makes you look at the things that were being done through a different perspective, we always see the historical movies or documentaries but here there's a person who is (sorta) contemporary with us experiencing these things and her responses to those things. I read an article that talked about how traumas of the past will always have an effect on the present and the future; no matter how small or big the scope is, and brother when i tell you that was like putting the last puzzle piece in place... Dana's experience in this book is the personification of generational trauma, she bears the scars of her ancestors.. literally.
There are many themes in this book, aside from the obvious slavery and trauma responses, like Unhealthy attachments, gender roles, contempt, violence, despondency and the numbness that people feel toward racism and slavery because "it was long ago", and every single topic was interesting and engaging honestly if i had half a brain i'd write an essay on this book.
The characters are also a vital part of this book, you care for them a lot. it becomes specially troublesome when it comes to Rufus, I felt the way Dana was feeling the entire time; because we meet him so young we think that there'll be a way to rub off some of the common decency onto him and guide him away from the man he would become under his dad's influence, then we realize that we can't and Rufus is a mean, abusive, controlling, obsessive, violent bitch who can't even apologize or attempt to be a good man if there isn't something in it for him. Dana is so much better than me bc i would've used that knife loong before but i get it, she's gotta keep the timeline safe.
The ending did feel a little underwhelming, like the last 10 pages of the last chapter didn't go all out, and it had the potential for an epic ending but idk maybe that wasn't the point of this. ALSO Her last trip and the one before were 3 months from each other in Rufus' timeline and 15 days in Dana's but the trip before those was 6 years for Rufus and 8 days for Dana... the math aint mathing me thinks
"You do me courtesy of calling me what I want to be called"
"The possibility of meeting a white adult here frightened me, more than the possibility of street violence ever had at home"
"I had seen people beaten on television and in the movies. I had seen the too-red blood substitute streaked across their backs and heard their well-rehearsed screams. But I hadn't lain nearby and smelled their sweat or heard them pleading and praying, shamed before their families and themselves"
"As a kind of castaway myself, I was happy to escape into the fictional world of someone else's trouble."
"You don't have to beat people to treat them brutally"
"I never realized how easily people could be trained to accept slavery"
"even people who loved me could demand more of me than I could give-and expect their demands to be met simply because I owed them."
"That's history. It happened whether it offends you or not. Quite a bit of it offends me, but there's nothing I can do about it."
"What had I done wrong? Why was I still slave to a man who had repaid me for saving his life by nearly killing me."
"Rufus's time demanded things of me that had never been demanded before, and it could easily kill me if I did not meet its demands. That was a stark, powerful reality that the gentle conveniences and luxuries of this house, of now, could not touch"
"I realized how easy it would be for me to continue to be still and forgive him even this. So easy, in spite of all my talk. But it would be so hard to raise the knife, drive it into the flesh I had saved so many times."
"Rufus was Rufus-erratic, alternately generous and vicious. I could accept him as my ancestor, my younger brother, my friend, but not as my master, and not as my lover."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, and Violence
redheadorganist's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Abandonment, Cursing, Racism, Violence, Suicide attempt, Racial slurs, Slavery, Death of parent, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Blood, and Suicide
Moderate: Rape and Infidelity
Minor: Sexual violence, Drug use, Sexual assault, and Fire/Fire injury
tommeyer3's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
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
4.0
This one took a while to grow on me, but it really did. I loved the plot device, found the story riveting (and disturbing) and thought the characters were well-developed, but the writing style was a little over-prescriptive at times to me. But over time it wore me down and ultimately I liked it a lot.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Sexual violence, Racial slurs, and Racism
elliotyork's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Racism, Racial slurs, Domestic abuse, Rape, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Self harm and Sexism
Minor: Animal cruelty
heathernependa's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
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
5.0
“Like all good works of fiction, it lies like the truth.”
This made my skin crawl. I think it should be required reading.
This made my skin crawl. I think it should be required reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Slavery, Sexual violence, Violence, Death, Racism, Racial slurs, and Suicide
bluelilyblue's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Racism, Racial slurs, and Violence
Moderate: Self harm, Sexual violence, and Suicide
dreamer626's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Child abuse, Racial slurs, Child death, Gun violence, Rape, and Racism
proftoddreads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Synopsis
Easily one of the best, most impactful novels I’ve read this year. Kindred follows main character Dana, a Black woman just starting her career as a writer in California in the late 1970s, who travels back in time to a plantation in 1815 where she must save Rufus, the son of a white slave owner, from drowning. This becomes the first in a series of time traveling events for Dana, each one tied to a moment in time when Rufus’ life is in danger. Dana quickly discovers Rufus is one of her ancestors, meaning her own existence is tied to her ability to keep Rufus alive. As Rufus grows into an adult and becomes increasingly more corrupted by the time period and system of slavery he lives in, Dana struggles more and more with the moral dilemma of keeping him alive.
Analysis
Through Dana we see not only the visceral horrors of slavery, but also the ways in which racism and slavery as systems of oppression destroy everyone they touch, even the white slave owners. Butler complicates our feelings by providing white slave owners who have moments of goodness, perhaps even kindness, and juxtaposing those scenes with the gruesome cruelty they inflict upon their slaves. Slavery is a system that corrupts absolutely, Butler shows us. No one and nothing can flourish within it. Love, family, and friendship are all ultimately destroyed.
Review
Though this novel was written and set in the 1970s, its messages about racism and the power of our history and past on the present remain relevant today. Butler demonstrates the impact of generational trauma; the ease with which we, as a nation, can be easily pulled back into old systems and patterns of racism, despite our belief that we have progressed beyond them; and the importance of understanding how pervasive the legacy of slavery is on every facet of our nation still today.
This is not an easy read (please check trigger warnings), but the experience is well worth it. The writing and characters are so impactful and moving, the themes and messages so powerful, it’s easy to see why this is one of Butter’s most celebrated works.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Slavery, Sexual assault, Racism, Racial slurs, and Sexual violence
badbadwolf's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Violence, and Racism
Moderate: Death, Fire/Fire injury, Hate crime, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Alcohol, Bullying, Grief, Murder, Medical content, Rape, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Torture, Child death, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Trafficking, Vomit, Blood, Physical abuse, Colonisation, and Sexual violence