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stellahadz's review
dark
sad
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? Yes
4.25
It feels wrong to say I enjoyed this book -- it's an unflinchingly sad story of a young woman's struggles with her mental health. I will say it's a brilliant book, though. The writing is sharp and vivid, and I loved the mixed-media format. The narrative is interspersed with pages from a zine created by Sahara's aunt, stage directions, and chapter names that reference popular songs. Based on the description, I thought the book would be more of a mystery about the titular Unfortunates, Black women classmates of Sahara's who have disappeared or died, but ultimately it was more of an exploration of Sahara's own mental space and how she learns the value of care. It has a similar vibe to books like My Year of Rest and Relaxation, but The Unfortunates is definitely more self-aware (and better, in my personal opinion -- and I say that as someone who likes R&R!) J. K. Chukwu is so talented, and I look forward to reading more of her work. I absolutely recommend this book, but I'd advise checking the content warnings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Medical content, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Medical trauma, and Racism
Moderate: Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, and Fatphobia
Minor: Eating disorder
iwannareadwithtana's review
I could relate to the depression but the story itself didn’t interest me. I did enjoy how it was written as a thesis but there didn’t seem to be a clear plot to follow.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Mental illness, and Alcoholism
nstyner's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Drug use, Alcoholism, and Self harm
Moderate: Racism and Mental illness
Minor: Sexual assault
breanneporter's review against another edition
dark
funny
hopeful
sad
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
3.5
This is an interesting book, and I knew very little before I started reading. It follows a sophomore at an elite college, Sahara, as she navigates structural inequities and micro aggressions, as well as severe depression and suicidal ideation. The entire novel is written as a faux-thesis, with the audience being the university administrators, and Sahara has personified her depression, which she refers to as LP (Life Partner) throughout the novel. The novel alternates between real life and her vivid imagination, in which she often imagines distressing and disturbing scenarios based on real life interactions or possibilities.
I haven’t read a book quite like it. I think the format made it a bit of a struggle to read via audiobook, as some of the narrative was clearly meant to be read with eyes instead of ears (I’m thinking of a chapter where she takes a science multiple choice test - having the narrator read out several multiple choice answers that were all just strings of letters wasn’t ideal). The main character is also struggling very hard for much the book and not doing the things you as the reader want her to do to take care of herself, which is frustrating (and probably part of the point). I also really didn’t like that Mariah died. That was a gut punch, and so horrible, and it drove the point home about the morbidity rate of the Black students at this university, but it felt so abrupt and wrong and I didn’t feel like that character, who’d we gotten to know and root for, got the send off or remembrance that she deserved. Her death felt like a way to move Sahara’s journey forward, which felt unfair to Mariah’s character.
Overall it was a quick and thought-provoking read, forcing the reader to contend with the reality of racial inequity and structural racism present at elite institutions like the unnamed Chicago university of this novel. And its depiction of mental health was fresh and interesting. And fun fact for me personally - Sahara was a sophomore in college during the exact year that I was!
I haven’t read a book quite like it. I think the format made it a bit of a struggle to read via audiobook, as some of the narrative was clearly meant to be read with eyes instead of ears (I’m thinking of a chapter where she takes a science multiple choice test - having the narrator read out several multiple choice answers that were all just strings of letters wasn’t ideal). The main character is also struggling very hard for much the book and not doing the things you as the reader want her to do to take care of herself, which is frustrating (and probably part of the point). I also really didn’t like
Overall it was a quick and thought-provoking read, forcing the reader to contend with the reality of racial inequity and structural racism present at elite institutions like the unnamed Chicago university of this novel. And its depiction of mental health was fresh and interesting. And fun fact for me personally - Sahara was a sophomore in college during the exact year that I was!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Suicidal thoughts
midnightmarauder's review
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
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
The Unfortunates follows Sahara Nwadike, a depressed college sophomore who no longer wants to live. Sahara attends an unnamed PWI that prides itself on diversity and inclusion, yet their black students are constantly dying, disappearing, or both.
There are many characters within the book that are unnamed, besides Sahara herself and Mariah, one of her close friends and also the girl she has a crush on. Everyone else is referred to by a pseudonym, like her best friend, ROD (which stands for Ride Or Die), her parents (only referred to as Mother and Father), and her brothers (aptly called B1, for Brother 1; and B2, for Brother 2), which I thought was interesting.
The book tackles many issues, one of the most prominent being mental illness in black people. Sahara suffers from depression (who she refers to as her "Life Partner", or LP, for short). LP constantly drags her down and convinces her that no one cares about her, and aids in her self-destruction throughout the novel. One of the things Sahara does to cope is drink and self-harm. Both LP and one of Sahara's friends, C1, help enable her addictions.
C1 is basically the human personification of LP. She is negative, self-hating, and a terrible influence on Sahara. She constantly encourages her to drink and do drugs with little regard to how it affects her. Once, as the pair are changing for a party, C1 noticesSahara's self-harm scars , and without asking her why she did what she did or caring about helping her stop, changes the subject back to herself. She was, by far, my least favorite character in the book.
Another issue that was tackled in the book was how black people (and people of color in general) often have a hard time finding community and support at primarily-white institutions. Sahara is one of many students at the university she attends that struggle with mental health issues. There is offered support for the students, but it is not enough and tends to be focused on the needs of white people. One of the people that fight to change the discriminatory practices at the institution is Mariah, who spent a lot of time at the head of different organizations on campus built to uplift and support other black students on campus whose voices were often ignored. Later in the book,it is revealed that she suffers from a health issue that she seeks help for from the university's hospital, but they constantly ignore her. Eventually, the issue is shown to be fibroids and she goes into emergency surgery, only to die from complications later.
Overall, I really loved this book. Sahara and I are very similar; we're both black women who struggle with depression and attended PWIs. I experienced very similar isolation and pain while I was on campus, with little to no support. I wished I had read this book while living on campus in order to be reminded that I wasn't alone and that there were other people out there dealing with the same issues.
There are many characters within the book that are unnamed, besides Sahara herself and Mariah, one of her close friends and also the girl she has a crush on. Everyone else is referred to by a pseudonym, like her best friend, ROD (which stands for Ride Or Die), her parents (only referred to as Mother and Father), and her brothers (aptly called B1, for Brother 1; and B2, for Brother 2), which I thought was interesting.
The book tackles many issues, one of the most prominent being mental illness in black people. Sahara suffers from depression (who she refers to as her "Life Partner", or LP, for short). LP constantly drags her down and convinces her that no one cares about her, and aids in her self-destruction throughout the novel. One of the things Sahara does to cope is drink and self-harm. Both LP and one of Sahara's friends, C1, help enable her addictions.
C1 is basically the human personification of LP. She is negative, self-hating, and a terrible influence on Sahara. She constantly encourages her to drink and do drugs with little regard to how it affects her. Once, as the pair are changing for a party, C1 notices
Another issue that was tackled in the book was how black people (and people of color in general) often have a hard time finding community and support at primarily-white institutions. Sahara is one of many students at the university she attends that struggle with mental health issues. There is offered support for the students, but it is not enough and tends to be focused on the needs of white people. One of the people that fight to change the discriminatory practices at the institution is Mariah, who spent a lot of time at the head of different organizations on campus built to uplift and support other black students on campus whose voices were often ignored. Later in the book,
Overall, I really loved this book. Sahara and I are very similar; we're both black women who struggle with depression and attended PWIs. I experienced very similar isolation and pain while I was on campus, with little to no support. I wished I had read this book while living on campus in order to be reminded that I wasn't alone and that there were other people out there dealing with the same issues.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Death, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Mental illness, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Racism and Eating disorder
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Blood, Body shaming, and Misogyny
blakeandbooks's review against another edition
dark
sad
fast-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Alcohol, Toxic friendship, Suicidal thoughts, Fatphobia, Drug use, Mental illness, Alcoholism, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, and Body shaming
Moderate: Death, Vomit, and Sexual content
bookrecsondeck's review
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Body shaming, Mental illness, and Fatphobia
Moderate: Self harm, Eating disorder, and Death
tjminus's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
4.5
First, definitely check the trigger/content warnings before reading this book. It is a DARK comedy. The writing style/presentation was so unique and creative and I truly enjoyed it. I just felt like the last 80 or so pages rushed to complete the plot and the book easily could have gone another 20-30 pages to match the plot pace of the first 2/3rds of the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Suicide attempt, Eating disorder, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Drug use, and Mental illness
Moderate: Grief, Drug abuse, Sexual content, Alcoholism, and Addiction
Minor: Racism, Death, and Classism
mmmmmm's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
i honestly don't know how to rate this, but it was a propulsive reading experience and like nothing i've ever read before. the experimental style and inclusion of the zine was so creative and interesting. extensive trigger warnings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Eating disorder, Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, Death, Mental illness, and Suicide attempt
bookmaddie's review
Just isn’t the book for me atm. I am in the mood for more descriptive, lush writing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Suicidal thoughts