Reviews

At the Edge of the Haight by Katherine Seligman

craftygoat's review against another edition

4.0

Slow in some places, then others made me wonder if I had skipped a page. As a work of fiction, I felt like there were spots it could have worked better. But as a work of eye-opening, empathy-growing story building, it was very nicely done.

staystitchy's review against another edition

3.0

At the Edge of the Haight started out with a bang. I was all set to solve a mystery with Maddy and her pup, Root. Then it felt like slow motion for most of the book.

I appreciate this story and it puts a spotlight on some very valid issues. It was heartbreaking and fascinating at times but I feel like it set up a good story and then kind of lost the plot.

Thank you to @belletrist for sending me this arc!!

serenealhalabi's review against another edition

3.0

Took me longer than usual to read because I got bored and don't love the writing style. This story had so much potential but was not executed well.

andersonk's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No

2.5

beetsbydwight's review against another edition

challenging hopeful reflective slow-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

3.0

ern1n's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

vinginoa's review against another edition

2.0

I liked the concept and the light shown on the unhoused living in San Francisco but as a fiction novel, I found it lacking. From this book I will take away an interest in reading more about the unhoused to gain additional perspectives that can supplement this story.

ridgewaygirl's review against another edition

3.0

This novel begins when a young homeless woman finds a dying man in the bushes of Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. Before she realizes what's going on, she also sees the face of the man who stabbed him. But this novel is not primarily about that, but about the people who sleep in the park when the weather's good and in a shelter when it isn't. Maddy becomes homeless once she ages out of the foster care system and her friends, a small group that sticks together for safety and support, come from a variety of backgrounds. Seligman explores what led Maddy to prefer life on the streets and touches on the issues of her friends and in this she is both humane and clear-eyed. These characters are real people, often with serious problems and she also shows how help can be both well-meaning and badly aimed.

The situation created in the beginning of the novel is more of a distraction and I never bought into Maddy's motivations for some of her actions, but it also served to show the impact on a family when one of its members choses to leave and live without a fixed address. I appreciated this novel more than I enjoyed it, although it never felt preachy and the way it illuminated the daily fabric of living homeless was something not often found.

smalltownbookmom's review against another edition

3.0

3.5 - Really good look at life as a young homeless person - the dangers, the challenges, the social stigmas, etc. A great book to encourage empathy and compassion. Part of the book that stuck with me the most was the critique that many people would rather help a stray dog than a homeless person. The homeless kids find more charity when they have their pet dog with them. Even the animal shelter they visit to get their dog back mentions that there was a proposal to let homeless people spend time with the shelter dogs (help socialize the dogs and give the homeless people a warm place to stay) but the program didn't gain traction. CW: mental health issues, depression, homelessness, teen pregnancy, drug use, poverty. Short but powerful story worth reading!

jesseonyoutube's review against another edition

3.0

Centering the realities of the unsheltered with candor, At the Edge of the Haight uses a young girl named Maddy to set a spotlight on homeless folk in San Francisco. The novel's selling point is that Maddy stumbles upon a boy just moments after his murder and is thrown into a police investigation while the boy's bereft parents attempt to use forced proximity to her to settle their own grief. Marketed as a literary thriller, I was pleasantly surprised to find the book focused MUCH less on the 'mystery thriller' aspect and more heavily on centering homelessness.

Desperately, I wanted to love the story much more than I did. The audiobook made the writing (which I believe was in need of editing), far more enjoyable; the narrator had the absolute perfect voice to bend Maddy's perspective into Life. However, I am certain I'd have discontinued my read had I been consuming Haight in a physical format.

Still, I deeply suggest this book for anyone who has not experienced homeless, especially those of you who "don't believe in giving money to the homeless" and have never consumed a single written perspective on the unsheltered. Ideally though, read a work from a formerly (or currently) homeless individual in order to put their perspectives first.