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booksillremember's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
In this debut collection of short stories, you can see Keegan's talent already, but it feels like she hasn't quite found her unique voice yet. The sentences often feel choppy. And the stories are so dark and tense, they are missing all kindness and hope that I loved in Small Things Like These. Keegan is definitely amazing at looking into the human soul, setting a scene and evoking a mood. I'm glad she's decided to add some light to her stories over the years.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, and Violence
rachjy's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Death of parent, and Kidnapping
psahds's review
dark
funny
reflective
sad
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Racism, Violence, Rape, and Racial slurs
stephenrotzschthomas's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
A strong collection of almost uniformly dark stories. It's clear that this is some of Keegan's earliest work, though. There is much of the strong writing that sold me so wholly on Foster and Small Things Like These, but her grasp of nuance is still unsettled. Perhaps most difficult to deal with here are the moments where Keegan butts up against racism. Perhaps it is a comment on the narrators in her stories, though I felt the language used only distracted from the stories in question. I've another Keegan collection on my TBR pile, and am hoping these are youthful attempts at edginess that have faded over time.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Violence
bvic's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Keegan is a beautiful writer, no doubt about that. Masterclass in short storytelling. It felt like peeking into moments of tragedy.
This collection was racist in places which marred the experience - memorably in the short stories ‘Passport Soup’ and ‘A Scent of Winter’.
This collection was racist in places which marred the experience - memorably in the short stories ‘Passport Soup’ and ‘A Scent of Winter’.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Violence, Racism, Rape, Murder, Alcohol, Adult/minor relationship, Fire/Fire injury, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Pedophilia, Kidnapping, Grief, Child death, and Animal death
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