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jourdanicus's review against another edition
hopeful
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Hmm... I did enjoy this book, but I feel like I wish there was... More to the story, maybe? I'm not sure if that's because I listened to more than half of it on audio and just didn't give it enough attention though.
I feel there were two stories here - Marion and Shannon's relationship, and Marion dealing with the ghost of Kayden. Both of them could have had a little more depth. I also feel like this story suffered from too much exposition. I like the author's writing style, but I would rather have had the backstory shown instead of overly told to me by rotating characters who lacked much depth.
Mostly I liked the way the dog was treated and I liked the ending.
I feel there were two stories here - Marion and Shannon's relationship, and Marion dealing with the ghost of Kayden. Both of them could have had a little more depth. I also feel like this story suffered from too much exposition. I like the author's writing style, but I would rather have had the backstory shown instead of overly told to me by rotating characters who lacked much depth.
Mostly I liked the way the dog was treated and I liked the ending.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Sexual content, Drug use, and Murder
badmom's review
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
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? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Murder, and Sexual content
Moderate: Colonisation, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Homophobia, Racism, Sexual violence, and Violence
Minor: Abandonment, Death, Fire/Fire injury, and Miscarriage
caseythereader's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Child death, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Grief, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Vomit
Moderate: Bullying, Colonisation, Rape, and Suicidal thoughts
drchronicallyreading's review
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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
4.0
While I enjoyed this book, I wish it would have had more of a build overall. The main character was really well developed. Maybe I’m too used to reading 400 page books now!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, and Homophobia
phoebe_phorreal's review
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- 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
Alright, I'm aware that this book is convoluted despite being short, but I'm going to go along with other reviewers and say that it's still easily readable despite that. Also, I'm a fan of books that make my brain hurt, so maybe the convoluted storylines and lack of focus was actually a plus for me?
This story follows two gay men, but I feel like the summary doesn't quite do it justice. There's a lot of moving back and forth between generations, and the themes of things like toxic masculinity, grief, and the byproducts of oppression combine to make a poignant novel that feels longer than its-barely 200 pages in a good way. The themes and their exploration absolutely make this a five-star book for me, and even if Marion may not always be the most engaging character, there are plenty of other intriguing characters which we get a glimpse of, such as Marion's mother, Hazel.
Tommy Orange, in his review of this book, called it "the dream that is this novel," and I felt that this pretty much summed up the feeling. At certain points chilling and at others filled with biting wit, the way Staples plays with time and Marion's ambivalence at points of the story (he's often pulled along by the plot) combine to create a dreamlike feeling befitting the title, one where past melds with present. This style of writing and the choices made by Staples may not appeal to all readers, but they certainly appeal to me.
This story follows two gay men, but I feel like the summary doesn't quite do it justice. There's a lot of moving back and forth between generations, and the themes of things like toxic masculinity, grief, and the byproducts of oppression combine to make a poignant novel that feels longer than its-barely 200 pages in a good way. The themes and their exploration absolutely make this a five-star book for me, and even if Marion may not always be the most engaging character, there are plenty of other intriguing characters which we get a glimpse of, such as Marion's mother, Hazel.
Tommy Orange, in his review of this book, called it "the dream that is this novel," and I felt that this pretty much summed up the feeling. At certain points chilling and at others filled with biting wit, the way Staples plays with time and Marion's ambivalence at points of the story (he's often pulled along by the plot) combine to create a dreamlike feeling befitting the title, one where past melds with present. This style of writing and the choices made by Staples may not appeal to all readers, but they certainly appeal to me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism and Homophobia
annalisaely's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Not my personal cup of tea. I would place it outside of genre fiction entirely, actually, rather than being a mystery with romance elements, and call it the illusive "literary fiction" where the plot is pointless but the the characters are also more irritating and depressing than interesting and lovable (I don't mind a plotless book if I love the characters). It reminds me a lot of the books I was assigned to read in school, and I actually think it would be a good replacement for people who actually like those books, because I know they exist, because it is by an Indigenous person instead of a white one and has gay rep.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Alcoholism, and Addiction
Moderate: Drug use, Grief, Racism, Sexual content, and Violence
There is also gang violence, specifically.noelanig's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcoholism and Homophobia
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