Reviews with content warning for Grief - What We Lose

Reviews tagging 'Grief'

What We Lose by Zinzi Clemmons

7 reviews

siobhanward's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

I would have liked to have read this as a physical book, rather than an ebook, since I'm curious how the interludes between chapters looked in a physical copy. However, that's more of a curiosity thing than a quality thing.

I liked how Clemmons incorporated different styles into the book and different media snippets. Honestly, that part was so well executed, that I frequently forgot I was reading a work of fiction. Clemmons' voice throughout was so real and raw that it felt like a memoir. However, it also felt like a memoir in that at times it felt like I was missing something - almost like I should have been able to fill in some gaps myself, but I just wasn't able to. This was a cool and interesting read. Sometimes it was a challenge to figure out what was happening when, as sometimes Clemmons moved through time periods without differentiating them, but it was still a solid read

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klor's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

An exploration of growing up, grief, and moving through life. Simultaneously sad and reflective. I loved the exploration of her immigrant family background and the connection our character had to her culture. There are a lot of tender moments in the book and it almost feels like a memoir (I think it loosely is) but I must say, the main character kind of suffers from the Rory Gilmore scenario of being almost too perfect so when the hard times hit, it's hard to grow. I also wish I enjoyed this more

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fraidyghost's review against another edition

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emotional 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? It's complicated

4.25

Really enjoyed the narrative structure of this book, and its narrator Thandi, whose relationships with her culture/identity and family I found deeply relatable. The story was rich without being weighed down by overly descriptive language (although there were places I wished for more). I only put it down once, and only because the style took a little bit of acclimation; once I fell into the rhythm I finished the rest in one sitting.

Content Warnings