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4.13 AVERAGE
4.13 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Roxane Gay at her best. The violence in this book was not as gratuitous as I expected maybe because I was adequately warned. Still it is hard to read especially at the beginning. The protagonist in this book is far stronger than i can imagine someone being in this situation but I wonder too if similar stories have failed us and that this book allows us to imagine differently. I think it’s important for someone who consumes as much trashy true crime as I do to engage with more artful and careful renditions of those crimes. I think she struck the right balance of nuance, I could empathize with the vilains just enough to be interested in them but not enough to get lost. I will say that I wanted a bit more from the ending. Honestly I wanted revenge and I cant decide what it means to be left with that feeling.
Obvious trigger warning for survivors, this was the hardest book to get through, definitely have a support system ready. That being said, I’m so glad I decided to read this- I have never been so moved by a novel. This book completely took over my life and will stay with me for a very long time. Roxane Gay gives such a compelling narrative of the intricacies of what it means to be human (or especially a woman) in the world we live in- the hope and love and opportunity but also the pain and horror and evils. She masterfully captures what it means to stay silent when you want to scream- what goes on inside the mind, and both the consequences and necessity of isolating your thoughts and feelings. She contrasts the worst of human nature with the best. This book will galvanize you to look at your own place in the world as you feel everything the main characters feels. It will end your own silence. An incredibly moving, impactful and important narration.
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
2017 Pop sugar Reading Challenge
*a book by a person of color*
*a book by a person of color*
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Some parts of this were a little difficult for me to read. The writing is really strong and the main character is extremely well written. Once I got about halfway through, I didn't want to stop until I was done, so I finished it within a day or two. I heard Roxane read the first chapter of this in Philly at the Tirefire reading series & it made me want to buy the book & I am very glad I did.
I had a few problems with this one but I'll start with the positives. On the whole, I thought that the story had a good plot. The character of Mirielle was throughly characterized, and seemed to represent well the feelings of a woman who is and has been trapped in an awful situation. There is not much I can critique in terms of the way Gay wrote her experience and the way the protagonist reacted to it. Only that it seemed realistic and there was no bars held. Other characters were also well expressed (although I didn't understand the point of having the older brother who was literally never in the book). Michael was one of my favorites. I also liked the complexity of the villains, and how this was intertwined with the discomfort associated with being wealthy in a nation like Haiti.
Now what I didn't like all the much, and the reason I'm giving it three stars, is the dialogue. I think one of the reviewers mentioned that it sounded quite Lifetime movie and it indeed, I would have to agree. While I could read between the lines and feel Mirielle as a character, much of the dialogue between her and every one else was almost too much to bear. And not in a good way. Some of it was cliche, hackneyed and downright corny. And while I liked the flashbacks to the past, some of her dialogue with Michael was the worst of all. I think that Gay could improve this in time, but it was disappointing because some of the large statements used over and over again in such a cliched manner were really unnecessary for the plot or story as a whole.
But overall, I think that for me this was a good introduction to Haiti as a country (yes I know I can't use a novel's dramatic points to learn about a whole country). But that's another part of the book: I learned more about the complexities of the nation and hope in the future to explore the country more through fiction and non-fiction texts.
A little torn about whether this is 4 star worthy instead...I did after all get through it mighty fast. We will see.
Now what I didn't like all the much, and the reason I'm giving it three stars, is the dialogue. I think one of the reviewers mentioned that it sounded quite Lifetime movie and it indeed, I would have to agree. While I could read between the lines and feel Mirielle as a character, much of the dialogue between her and every one else was almost too much to bear. And not in a good way. Some of it was cliche, hackneyed and downright corny. And while I liked the flashbacks to the past, some of her dialogue with Michael was the worst of all. I think that Gay could improve this in time, but it was disappointing because some of the large statements used over and over again in such a cliched manner were really unnecessary for the plot or story as a whole.
But overall, I think that for me this was a good introduction to Haiti as a country (yes I know I can't use a novel's dramatic points to learn about a whole country). But that's another part of the book: I learned more about the complexities of the nation and hope in the future to explore the country more through fiction and non-fiction texts.
A little torn about whether this is 4 star worthy instead...I did after all get through it mighty fast. We will see.
I started and finished this book in the same day. This intense story of a woman kidnapped in Haiti seemed true-to-life, and did not imagine that once the main character was released that everything went back to the way it was before. At the end of the book, I had a little mountain of tissues next to me. I'm not sure how I feel about the ending. Regardless, it's a great book.