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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
A stunning debut. Content warnings for, well, pretty much everything.
dark
tense
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
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Abandonment
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Incest
Minor: Death, Mental illness, Racial slurs
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
Asale Angel-Ajani's remarkable debut, A COUNTRY YOU CAN LEAVE —centers around a mother and daughter duo trapped by circumstances. Lyrical, raw, emotional, and often heartfelt, yet witty.
I LOVED the opening of each chapter with life rules to follow (from the spiral-bound notebooks) by the mom for her daughter! Lessons about sex, men, politics, and reading habits—her meager inheritance)—Hilarious! a highlight of this well-written novel. I bookmarked many pages and was fortunate to have the e-book to accompany the audiobook!
Lara is a sixteen-year-old biracial teen girl with an eccentric fiery Russian mom, Yevgenia. From one job and town to another (always on the move), from one dead-end position to another, just trying to survive.
Accustomed to being homeless and her mom taking off, they are now at the rundown Oasis Mobile Home Park in the California desert.
"A desert is a place that lulls a person into believing that nothing is required of them until it's nearly too late, and suddenly, you need all of your faculties to survive."
It is difficult for Lara to have friends since they move around a lot. She does not fit in. The mother-daughter duo has a love/hate relationship. Lara feels her mom does not love her and is embarrassed because she is black. Lara wants to know more about her dad (a Black schizophrenic gifted Cuban musician).
Her mom, a bartender, is loose, loud-mouthed, opinionated, an alcoholic, well-read, wild, unconventional, and enjoys sex. She pays more attention to customers and Lara's friends than she does to her daughter.
She reads a lot, and some might even be impressed with her knowledge. She constantly quotes Russian literature and is not interested in providing a stable, secure home in a traditional sense.
The mom does not like Americans or men (edicts laid out in the notebook quotes). She believes in tough love and has no compassion for others. She is loud and vocal with a foul trashy mouth. One of Lara's friends even called her very "cosmopolitan."
Told from Lara's POV, she loves to read. She is affected by her mother as all she knows. I loved her friend, Charles, the budding poet, and their experience with the literary scene.
The mother-daughter relationship is complex. There are heated arguments, frustrations, misunderstandings, and resentments.
Even though Lara appreciates her mom's independent spirit, she is not the sharing type. In Lara's quest to find her dad, a brutal attack brings some of her mom's past trauma to the surface. Lara finds her life full of confusion and contradictions. Lara wants her mom's acceptance.
Lara has relied on her mom, but now she has an impulse to pull away to discover her own self-identity.
Topics: Immigrants, culture, race, class, mental health, poverty, acceptance, mother-daughter relationships. I loved the ending!
A COUNTRY YOU CAN LEAVE packs an emotional punch. Told with passion and humor. Sharp-witted with a colorful cast of fun characters, a compelling yet eye-opening realistic view of the obstacles faced by multiracials. A world of desperation and beauty.
I enjoyed the love of books, literary aspects, and reading portrayed throughout the book. The memories of books and stories have the power to shape our lives.
The author's writing is poetic, lyrical, and stunning. The author has been added to my favorite author list, and I cannot wait to see what comes next. This is different from your ordinary coming of age. It is explosive! I would love to see another book like this written from the mom's perspective.
AUDIOBOOK: thoroughly enjoyed the audiobook narrated by Amanda Cordner for an outstanding performance and listening experience. Highly entertaining.
For fans of books, I have read most recently: [b:Margot|89576622|Margot|Wendell Steavenson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1674985699l/89576622._SX50_.jpg|96285461], [b:Maame|60784605|Maame|Jessica George|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1666031380l/60784605._SY75_.jpg|91610666], and [b:The Applicant|61359016|The Applicant|Nazli Koca|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1665608152l/61359016._SY75_.jpg|92258295]. I listened to the audiobook of all four of these and highly recommend them.
Thank you to #MacmillanAudio, #FarrarStrausandGiroux #MCD, and #Netgalley for a gifted ALC and ARC. #covercrush
Blog Review Posted@
www.JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 4 Stars
Pub Date: Feb 21, 2023
Feb 2023 Must-Read Books
Check out the fascinating Interview with Asale Angel-Ajani with Literary Hub.
I LOVED the opening of each chapter with life rules to follow (from the spiral-bound notebooks) by the mom for her daughter! Lessons about sex, men, politics, and reading habits—her meager inheritance)—Hilarious! a highlight of this well-written novel. I bookmarked many pages and was fortunate to have the e-book to accompany the audiobook!
Lara is a sixteen-year-old biracial teen girl with an eccentric fiery Russian mom, Yevgenia. From one job and town to another (always on the move), from one dead-end position to another, just trying to survive.
Accustomed to being homeless and her mom taking off, they are now at the rundown Oasis Mobile Home Park in the California desert.
"A desert is a place that lulls a person into believing that nothing is required of them until it's nearly too late, and suddenly, you need all of your faculties to survive."
It is difficult for Lara to have friends since they move around a lot. She does not fit in. The mother-daughter duo has a love/hate relationship. Lara feels her mom does not love her and is embarrassed because she is black. Lara wants to know more about her dad (a Black schizophrenic gifted Cuban musician).
Her mom, a bartender, is loose, loud-mouthed, opinionated, an alcoholic, well-read, wild, unconventional, and enjoys sex. She pays more attention to customers and Lara's friends than she does to her daughter.
She reads a lot, and some might even be impressed with her knowledge. She constantly quotes Russian literature and is not interested in providing a stable, secure home in a traditional sense.
The mom does not like Americans or men (edicts laid out in the notebook quotes). She believes in tough love and has no compassion for others. She is loud and vocal with a foul trashy mouth. One of Lara's friends even called her very "cosmopolitan."
Told from Lara's POV, she loves to read. She is affected by her mother as all she knows. I loved her friend, Charles, the budding poet, and their experience with the literary scene.
The mother-daughter relationship is complex. There are heated arguments, frustrations, misunderstandings, and resentments.
Even though Lara appreciates her mom's independent spirit, she is not the sharing type. In Lara's quest to find her dad, a brutal attack brings some of her mom's past trauma to the surface. Lara finds her life full of confusion and contradictions. Lara wants her mom's acceptance.
Lara has relied on her mom, but now she has an impulse to pull away to discover her own self-identity.
Topics: Immigrants, culture, race, class, mental health, poverty, acceptance, mother-daughter relationships. I loved the ending!
A COUNTRY YOU CAN LEAVE packs an emotional punch. Told with passion and humor. Sharp-witted with a colorful cast of fun characters, a compelling yet eye-opening realistic view of the obstacles faced by multiracials. A world of desperation and beauty.
I enjoyed the love of books, literary aspects, and reading portrayed throughout the book. The memories of books and stories have the power to shape our lives.
The author's writing is poetic, lyrical, and stunning. The author has been added to my favorite author list, and I cannot wait to see what comes next. This is different from your ordinary coming of age. It is explosive! I would love to see another book like this written from the mom's perspective.
AUDIOBOOK: thoroughly enjoyed the audiobook narrated by Amanda Cordner for an outstanding performance and listening experience. Highly entertaining.
For fans of books, I have read most recently: [b:Margot|89576622|Margot|Wendell Steavenson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1674985699l/89576622._SX50_.jpg|96285461], [b:Maame|60784605|Maame|Jessica George|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1666031380l/60784605._SY75_.jpg|91610666], and [b:The Applicant|61359016|The Applicant|Nazli Koca|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1665608152l/61359016._SY75_.jpg|92258295]. I listened to the audiobook of all four of these and highly recommend them.
Thank you to #MacmillanAudio, #FarrarStrausandGiroux #MCD, and #Netgalley for a gifted ALC and ARC. #covercrush
Blog Review Posted@
www.JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 4 Stars
Pub Date: Feb 21, 2023
Feb 2023 Must-Read Books
Check out the fascinating Interview with Asale Angel-Ajani with Literary Hub.
Engrossing and original! Angel-Ajani, herself agrees that it's hard to answer the question, "What is this book about?" It's so many things, and it works! The prose is breathtaking, and the characters are complicated. Lara is the Black, biracial daughter of an absentee Afro-Cuban father and a Russian mother who Angel-Ajani describes as "self-possessed and fully realized." Lara is easy to love. Her single mom, Yvengia—not so much, yet there are things to admire. An unexpected layer to Yvengia is that she's an intellectual, and books are her everything. It's a creative theme throughout the book. Yvengia and Lara live in a diverse desert community in California where all the inhabitants are at or below the poverty line. Sense of place plays a significant role in this story about preconceived perceptions, false judgments, and family. This book made me wish I could be a student again to discuss it and write a book report on it! I didn't want it to end!
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
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:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Alcohol
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Cannibalism, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail