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fairyhag's review against another edition
3.0
the chapters in this short story collection i enjoyed and remember the most (as i am writing this review two months after finishing it) are the one about the chupacabra and the recurring family dynamic that occurs throughout some of the chapters. like other reviewers said, i felt emotionally detached from the characters and storylines, and i'm not sure it's just a *me* thing. washington has a beautiful way of writing prose that kept me going despite this!
lilliavaughn's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
lfryer725's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
2.5
annagreta_'s review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.5
dan1el_ji's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
jawge's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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? No
4.0
ksoriero's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
fast-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
3.5
kaitlizcolby's review against another edition
3.0
It was ok. I’m definitely not opposed to a little grittiness, but grittiness for the sake of being gritty is a big turn off for me. The writing style also makes you feel pretty disconnected from the characters (though I recognize that may have been an intentional choice), so the first half of the novel essentially felt like Washington was just trying to shock me and I didn’t care about the characters. There was a little more tenderness as you went, though. If all of the stories had the heart of the chupacabra story, it would have been great. Some high points, but overall not my cup of tea.