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danicabird's review against another edition
4.0
I felt completely one with the narrator as if I could have written her thoughts without having lived any of her experiences. The book is written in a series of vignettes that will occasionally jump around in time, but orbit the loss of her mother. The short bursts of story make this book so unique and beautiful but also left me wanting more. I wanted to stay with this narrator longer than we are allowed.
africanbookaddict's review against another edition
4.0
!!! Book blog review: https://africanbookaddict.com/2017/07/11/what-we-lose-a-novel-by-zinzi-clemmons/
Laden with meditative, intimate and at times unsettling vignettes, What We Lose will leave you in a pensive state. Thandi – the heroine of this novel, is the only child of her mother (a coloured South African) and father (a light skinned African American) who is very aware of her privileges & multicultural background. Readers follow Thandi on her journey from childhood to adulthood as she navigates what it means to be a black woman in America and South Africa, dealing with the loss of a loved one, motherhood and love.
What We Lose is based on Zinzi Clemmons’s life, BUT it isn’t her life. If you’ve been following Clemmons’s work online, especially her 2013 piece – A Geography of Hurt, you’d find the subject matter in this novel familiar. While there isn’t a clear-cut plot to this novel, Clemmons successfully portrays Thandi’s life through short vignettes. The vignettes reflect Thandi’s complex thoughts – private, absorbing and heartfelt thoughts, that one probably wouldn’t even share with their closest partner. Some bits of the text feel philosophical which was confusing at times, but appreciated. I love how pictures and graphs and random news articles are scattered throughout the book, as it gave the storytelling an unconventional feel.
Johannesburg, South Africa plays a vital role in this novel. The world is so absorbed in American politics (aka: Trump) that we forget about the intense and ever present racism in post-apartheid South Africa. Thandi and her family are coloureds and wealthy, so readers experience a different account of racial dynamics in South Africa through their lens, which is refreshing. It was intriguing to see how American racial relations and South African racial relations were juxtaposed and how they impacted Thandi’s life and even play a role in her grieving process and the important decisions she makes in her life.
Anyone whose lost a parent will deeply resonate with this novel. I initially thought this novel would be morbid and sorrowful, but I was glad to find that it reads more as a visceral novel – deep feelings and black psyche are articulated so aptly!
I’m not sure how this book is being marketed to the public; but for me, What We Lose tackles so much more than the issue of race. This coming-of-age novel reminds you that we are all human. We are all dealing with our personal struggles. We are all trying to thrive and heal and survive. Illness, love, race, mental health, motherhood, sisterhood and social class dynamics are wonderfully weaved into the overall themes of grief and the quest to belong.
Read full review + quotes on: africanbookaddict.com
Laden with meditative, intimate and at times unsettling vignettes, What We Lose will leave you in a pensive state. Thandi – the heroine of this novel, is the only child of her mother (a coloured South African) and father (a light skinned African American) who is very aware of her privileges & multicultural background. Readers follow Thandi on her journey from childhood to adulthood as she navigates what it means to be a black woman in America and South Africa, dealing with the loss of a loved one, motherhood and love.
What We Lose is based on Zinzi Clemmons’s life, BUT it isn’t her life. If you’ve been following Clemmons’s work online, especially her 2013 piece – A Geography of Hurt, you’d find the subject matter in this novel familiar. While there isn’t a clear-cut plot to this novel, Clemmons successfully portrays Thandi’s life through short vignettes. The vignettes reflect Thandi’s complex thoughts – private, absorbing and heartfelt thoughts, that one probably wouldn’t even share with their closest partner. Some bits of the text feel philosophical which was confusing at times, but appreciated. I love how pictures and graphs and random news articles are scattered throughout the book, as it gave the storytelling an unconventional feel.
Johannesburg, South Africa plays a vital role in this novel. The world is so absorbed in American politics (aka: Trump) that we forget about the intense and ever present racism in post-apartheid South Africa. Thandi and her family are coloureds and wealthy, so readers experience a different account of racial dynamics in South Africa through their lens, which is refreshing. It was intriguing to see how American racial relations and South African racial relations were juxtaposed and how they impacted Thandi’s life and even play a role in her grieving process and the important decisions she makes in her life.
Anyone whose lost a parent will deeply resonate with this novel. I initially thought this novel would be morbid and sorrowful, but I was glad to find that it reads more as a visceral novel – deep feelings and black psyche are articulated so aptly!
I’m not sure how this book is being marketed to the public; but for me, What We Lose tackles so much more than the issue of race. This coming-of-age novel reminds you that we are all human. We are all dealing with our personal struggles. We are all trying to thrive and heal and survive. Illness, love, race, mental health, motherhood, sisterhood and social class dynamics are wonderfully weaved into the overall themes of grief and the quest to belong.
Read full review + quotes on: africanbookaddict.com
sirenenegra's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
This was a very emotional experience and I enjoyed the writing a lot. It’s a wonderful coming of age tale that doesn’t shy away from working through the terrible challenges that life throws at us. Plus, the way that SA history is weaved into this narrative is unlike anything I’ve ever read before, so it was a beautiful new experience.
malea_ann's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
_a_minha_biblioteca's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
novelvisits's review against another edition
3.0
Full review at: http://www.novelvisits.com/lose-zinzi-clemmons-review/
My Thoughts
What I Liked:
Memoir feel – Though What We Lose is not a memoir, Clemmons did lose her own mother to breast cancer. THE major theme in the story is Thandi creating a life for herself after losing her mother to breast cancer. For that part of the book, it felt like the line between fact and fiction was very thin. It was also where the book was at its strongest.
Beautiful tribute – In its essence What We Lose is a story of grief, the grief of losing a mother too soon. Clemmons beautiful words played tribute to Thandi’s mother, and in doing so to her own, and to all great mothers, as well.
“And when I tried to speak only pain came. The pain was exponential. Because as much as I cried, she could not comfort me, and this fact only multiplied my pain. I realized that this would be life; to figure out how to live without her hand on my back; her soft accented English telling me Everything will be all right, Thandi. This was the paradox: How would I ever heal from losing the person who healed me? The question was so enormous that I could see only my entire life, everything I know, filling it.”
Thandi, attempted to do just that: to use the whole of her life to fill the void left when she lost her mother.
Sense of irony – Throughout the book were ironic idiosyncratic bits that helped to give the story depth. In one instance Thandi was given a pamphlet from hospice entitled “What We Lose: A Support Guide.” The advice, both true and obvious, made the pain even more real. Clemmons also shared instances of Thandi not ever feeling like she truly belonged.
“I’ve often thought that being a light-skinned black woman is like being a well-dressed person who is also homeless.”
And, though Thandi loved her mother’s South African home, the country secretly terrified her.
What I Didn’t:
Vignette format – Clemmons writes in what might best be called snippets or vignettes. Some bits are long, others just paragraphs, or even sentences. She leaves one theme/one time and returns to it again later, leaving it up to the reader to organize her story. This obviously is a style that many people like, but I am not a fan. I might have liked Clemmons’s debut more if I had not had to do so much of the work.
Political passes – Interspersed with Thandi’s life were vignettes of a more social/political nature that seemed unnecessary and added nothing to her own story. The time might have been better spent focusing more on her mother’s background, which I’d have loved to know more about.
The Final Assessment
With so much hype surrounding What We Lose, the debut had very high expectations surrounding it and for me, it just didn’t get there. I could name eight to ten debuts I’ve liked more this year. I appreciate the poignant tribute to a much-loved mother and the exploration of finding a life without her. Unfortunately, the format was such a distraction that the story itself lost much its glow. Grade: C
Note: I received a copy of this book from the publisher (via NetGalley) in exchange for my honest review.
My Thoughts
What I Liked:
Memoir feel – Though What We Lose is not a memoir, Clemmons did lose her own mother to breast cancer. THE major theme in the story is Thandi creating a life for herself after losing her mother to breast cancer. For that part of the book, it felt like the line between fact and fiction was very thin. It was also where the book was at its strongest.
Beautiful tribute – In its essence What We Lose is a story of grief, the grief of losing a mother too soon. Clemmons beautiful words played tribute to Thandi’s mother, and in doing so to her own, and to all great mothers, as well.
“And when I tried to speak only pain came. The pain was exponential. Because as much as I cried, she could not comfort me, and this fact only multiplied my pain. I realized that this would be life; to figure out how to live without her hand on my back; her soft accented English telling me Everything will be all right, Thandi. This was the paradox: How would I ever heal from losing the person who healed me? The question was so enormous that I could see only my entire life, everything I know, filling it.”
Thandi, attempted to do just that: to use the whole of her life to fill the void left when she lost her mother.
Sense of irony – Throughout the book were ironic idiosyncratic bits that helped to give the story depth. In one instance Thandi was given a pamphlet from hospice entitled “What We Lose: A Support Guide.” The advice, both true and obvious, made the pain even more real. Clemmons also shared instances of Thandi not ever feeling like she truly belonged.
“I’ve often thought that being a light-skinned black woman is like being a well-dressed person who is also homeless.”
And, though Thandi loved her mother’s South African home, the country secretly terrified her.
What I Didn’t:
Vignette format – Clemmons writes in what might best be called snippets or vignettes. Some bits are long, others just paragraphs, or even sentences. She leaves one theme/one time and returns to it again later, leaving it up to the reader to organize her story. This obviously is a style that many people like, but I am not a fan. I might have liked Clemmons’s debut more if I had not had to do so much of the work.
Political passes – Interspersed with Thandi’s life were vignettes of a more social/political nature that seemed unnecessary and added nothing to her own story. The time might have been better spent focusing more on her mother’s background, which I’d have loved to know more about.
The Final Assessment
With so much hype surrounding What We Lose, the debut had very high expectations surrounding it and for me, it just didn’t get there. I could name eight to ten debuts I’ve liked more this year. I appreciate the poignant tribute to a much-loved mother and the exploration of finding a life without her. Unfortunately, the format was such a distraction that the story itself lost much its glow. Grade: C
Note: I received a copy of this book from the publisher (via NetGalley) in exchange for my honest review.
therealkathryn's review against another edition
4.0
I was drawn to this because I like stories of first or second generation immigrants (having had many as friends growing up) but this is also a book about (surprise) loss. It felt very real and relatable.
jessicacoh's review against another edition
informative
sad
fast-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
3.75