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meganpbell's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
In this gritty, ghostly Affrilachian gothic debut, Magnolia, in the wake of her grandmother’s death and possibly pregnant, takes an offer to “model” as the late beloveds of the rich at a funeral home run by the strange Mr. Cotton. The voice and the VIBES are all there, and this book has a lot to say about grief, death, race, class, and sex in the Bible Belt South, but the plot was about as substantial as its ghosts and the ending was abrupt and unsatisfying. Still, the writing is strong and beautiful—a writer to watch.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Grief, and Death
Moderate: Abortion, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Misogyny, Sexism, Pregnancy, Addiction, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Drug use, Grief, and Classism
Minor: Sexual assault, Child abuse, and Rape
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