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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
3.5
Overall pretty good stuff.
I loved that there was a recurrent story, though it did feel like it needed another chapter to bridge into the final one.
Idk it’s kinda hard to review this because there really weren’t any “bad” bits. Some stories just fell a tiny bit flatter than others, and I will say, I surprised at the unhappiness, discontent, and discomfort that permeated almost every story. It’s not necessarily a bad thing; it’s just not what I was expecting and perhaps not the tone I wanted to close out my pride month reads with. That’s not to say there are no bright spots; Washington just makes the characters work towards them, even if the promise of a better life feels shaky for most of the characters.
I will say one thing that actually really bugged me throughout the book was Washington’s sentence structure when it came to dialogue and certain instances of intentional repetition that just didn’t work for me. There’s just so much “said [character]” “said [character]” “said [character]” back to back, and I was just like PLEASE SWITCH IT UP. USE A DIFFERENT WORD IN PLACE OF SAID. CHANGE THE SENTENCE STRUCTURE. ANYTHING ELSE.
It becomes especially annoying because there are moments where Washington doesn’t use dialogue tags, and it works really well 95% of the time.
I guess it’s kind of a nitpick, but still. I said what I said.
Overall pretty good stuff.
I loved that there was a recurrent story, though it did feel like it needed another chapter to bridge into the final one.
Idk it’s kinda hard to review this because there really weren’t any “bad” bits. Some stories just fell a tiny bit flatter than others, and I will say, I surprised at the unhappiness, discontent, and discomfort that permeated almost every story. It’s not necessarily a bad thing; it’s just not what I was expecting and perhaps not the tone I wanted to close out my pride month reads with. That’s not to say there are no bright spots; Washington just makes the characters work towards them, even if the promise of a better life feels shaky for most of the characters.
I will say one thing that actually really bugged me throughout the book was Washington’s sentence structure when it came to dialogue and certain instances of intentional repetition that just didn’t work for me. There’s just so much “said [character]” “said [character]” “said [character]” back to back, and I was just like PLEASE SWITCH IT UP. USE A DIFFERENT WORD IN PLACE OF SAID. CHANGE THE SENTENCE STRUCTURE. ANYTHING ELSE.
It becomes especially annoying because there are moments where Washington doesn’t use dialogue tags, and it works really well 95% of the time.
I guess it’s kind of a nitpick, but still. I said what I said.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug abuse, Homophobia
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Fully have been convinced to read everything this man writes.
In his stripped-down prose Washington navigates the complexities of race, queerness, class- largely poverty- and ultimately one’s identity through the careful attention he gives to the city of Houston. Though technically adept this is clearly Washington’s debut, some rhetorical devices fall flat and the sparse prose at times undermines the emotional weight of the stories.