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cgreenstein's review against another edition
challenging
dark
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
4.0
I didn't expect to like this, but I did. It also wasn't as bleak as I expected. I read articles about it that said it was uncompromisingly pessimistic, but I didn't find that to be the case-- there are little glimmers in the midst of the violence and debauchery and senseless posturing that did give me hope for some of the characters. As for the ones who did meet bad ends, I honestly really liked how this book handled that; it's different from most other books in that these characters aren't innocents who are unwillingly forced into crime. They experience things that make it harder for them to have a peaceful adult life, definitely, but the men who star in this book engage in violence because they want to, and they don't feel remorse about it. The agency given to the key characters was refreshing; Gabriel and his friends are not misled objects of pity. They are adults who are capable of making choices for themselves, and they freely make choices that result in imprisonment, early death, and emptiness. This book explores those choices and their implications and makes it clear that the "oh, poor so-and-so, their circumstances made a life of crime inevitable" narrative is reductive, dehumanizing, and false. Obviously people commit crimes for a wide range of reasons and due to a complex set of factors, but I appreciate that this book showed that sometimes some people voluntarily choose to be criminals and choose to stay criminals. Not everyone who is in prison is a victim of circumstance.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Sexism, Death, Cursing, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Police brutality, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Violence
tlaynejones's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
5.0
Wow. I first heard about this book from a rave review by Yassmin Abdel-Magied. I’m so glad for the heads up. This book grabbed me and kept me feeling entertained and profoundly challenged from beginning to end. It’s intense, very violent, reflective, moving and sometimes funny. I listened to the audiobook, which is read by the author. Thankfully he did a great job, as I’m not sure if I would have enjoyed, or even understood the book if I had tried to read the print version. The prose is written in the language of the South Kilburn Estate in London. This is so different to the English that I speak that without the inflection and expression of the audio, it may have seemed too opaque. I appreciated the author’s pov in exploring assumptions, bias, and general understanding around class, crime, and criminal motivations.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Violence, and Drug use
Minor: Misogyny, Murder, Animal cruelty, Racism, Addiction, Gun violence, and Child abuse
ameliasbooks's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Bullying, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Blood, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Misogyny, Murder, Sexism, and Vomit
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