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ames_101's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Death, and Racism
manadabomb's review against another edition
5.0
It's interesting when you realize you are drawn towards a certain subgenre. I really like reading Flannery O'Connor and I really liked reading this book. So, I must really like Southern Gothic.
I started this in February and I picked it up and put it down often. I read other books in between. There's no particular reason, I thought, but there is. We have a story of Jojo, his little sister Kayla, mom Leonie, granddad and grandma, who are all black. Leonie's baby daddy is Michael, a white man, whose parents are a thousand percent against Leonie and the kids.
Pop, the granddad, clearly loves his grandkids and deals with his daughter. Leonie is a meth addict and, while you see she loves her kids, they are not first in her life. They are not even second or third. That in itself was difficult. You get Jojo's POV often as well as Leonie's so you get to see both sides of the struggle between the two. I both wanted to shake and hug Leonie. And just plain wanted to hug Jojo.
Enter Michael. A felon and pretty much a "not going to amount to anything" person. The book centers around the road trip that Leonie, Jojo, Kayla and Leonie's friend, Misty, take to pick up Michael when he's released from prison. It's a terrible trip with meth, police, kids left starving because they are forgotten, kids getting sick and getting smacked for it, just....tough to read.
Lest you think it's just a road trip novel, we have Pop's history. Racism, very ugly racism, rears it's head in his past and comes into Jojo's future in the form of a ghost who hitches a ride back from the prison. Jojo and Leonie have a gift for seeing the dead, but the dead are there to remind them of failures. Just another weight on the shoulders of people who are shouldering too much.
Don't let the ghost aspect throw you off. It's so well written that the ghosts are fully developed characters who get their own POV chapters to give you more insight into the lives that were led and ended abruptly.
Highly recommend this one!
I started this in February and I picked it up and put it down often. I read other books in between. There's no particular reason, I thought, but there is. We have a story of Jojo, his little sister Kayla, mom Leonie, granddad and grandma, who are all black. Leonie's baby daddy is Michael, a white man, whose parents are a thousand percent against Leonie and the kids.
Pop, the granddad, clearly loves his grandkids and deals with his daughter. Leonie is a meth addict and, while you see she loves her kids, they are not first in her life. They are not even second or third. That in itself was difficult. You get Jojo's POV often as well as Leonie's so you get to see both sides of the struggle between the two. I both wanted to shake and hug Leonie. And just plain wanted to hug Jojo.
Enter Michael. A felon and pretty much a "not going to amount to anything" person. The book centers around the road trip that Leonie, Jojo, Kayla and Leonie's friend, Misty, take to pick up Michael when he's released from prison. It's a terrible trip with meth, police, kids left starving because they are forgotten, kids getting sick and getting smacked for it, just....tough to read.
Lest you think it's just a road trip novel, we have Pop's history. Racism, very ugly racism, rears it's head in his past and comes into Jojo's future in the form of a ghost who hitches a ride back from the prison. Jojo and Leonie have a gift for seeing the dead, but the dead are there to remind them of failures. Just another weight on the shoulders of people who are shouldering too much.
Don't let the ghost aspect throw you off. It's so well written that the ghosts are fully developed characters who get their own POV chapters to give you more insight into the lives that were led and ended abruptly.
Highly recommend this one!
reality_x's review against another edition
4.0
This book sinks slowly into me. Slow, but it did sink.
mamatoca's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
2.75
Beautiful writing, but just so full of trauma with little hope of redemption. This book gave me nightmares. The magical realism was confusing and inconsistent for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Death, Racism, Death of parent, Vomit, Violence, Terminal illness, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse
epwilliams13's review against another edition
4.0
Writing of this book is excellent. Sometimes I got a little confused with the story of the ghosts but overall it was a wonderful story. Interested in more of this authors works.
joaniesickler's review against another edition
5.0
Very powerful. Not an easy read but it's power led me to mourn my own Mother in a healing way. Remarkable writing.
lv00009's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
nadiadhansen's review against another edition
3.5
very affecting, i was frequently grimacing. at times touching and at times disturbing. i liked the magical elements. with clear awareness that this book is not for me, pretty good, but not a perfect book to me.