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jlvwolf's review against another edition
4.25
Read the triggerb warnings before reading this book
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia, Car accident, Alcoholism, Death, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Drug use, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, and Drug abuse
jboughton23's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
butzjenna's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
izzy_reads7's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
coffeeneur's review
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
This book has a lot of promise and I liked the descriptions of Anacostia and the city from the 70s, as well as the fluidity of the spirit world with the physical, but the book didn't work for me. I couldn't get into the characters and I felt there were several descriptive passages of what was happening inside a character's head that didn't add to the story. At times I think this was intended to be poetic but it didn't work for me.
sparklelys's review
5.0
This is so not my usual genre, but I got sucked in by the lyrical writing and then invested in the characters, even as they looped away for a time and then cycled back into the narrative. Morowa writes place with a gravity of years of experiential knowledge of the Anacostia region of DC, overlaid with a mystic sense of the beyond drawn from multiple mythological roots spanning from Gullah culture to Egypt.
frasersimons's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This was somewhat slippery, in a few different ways, but quite an enjoyable experience, especially as the author narrating. Where so many authors simply should not ever be narrating their story, this author is pretty excellent.
It’s a pretty grim story, focusing on the many, many creatures of passage, which almost feels adjacent to magical realism, given how often the fiction normalizes unexplained supernatural perceptions of some of the cast. A medium who sees only specific details, sometimes more symbolic than anything; other times she sees specific details, just, for instance, the face of the person being blank. Or the main character driving a car with a kind of impulse taking her to people and places where they ought to be/go.
All of the people are marginalized, preyed upon, suffer ranges of trauma, and continue to go on with their lives. But the most dark area is a child predator creeping amongst them as they try to go on.
The prose are poetic and compelling, but do sometimes leave more subjective space for what is actually happening, which made me confused. It’s usually clarified, but not always. The ending was satisfying and brought into focus some of the slippery parts. I can see some people not making it that far, though.
It’s a pretty grim story, focusing on the many, many creatures of passage, which almost feels adjacent to magical realism, given how often the fiction normalizes unexplained supernatural perceptions of some of the cast. A medium who sees only specific details, sometimes more symbolic than anything; other times she sees specific details, just, for instance, the face of the person being blank. Or the main character driving a car with a kind of impulse taking her to people and places where they ought to be/go.
All of the people are marginalized, preyed upon, suffer ranges of trauma, and continue to go on with their lives. But the most dark area is a child predator creeping amongst them as they try to go on.
The prose are poetic and compelling, but do sometimes leave more subjective space for what is actually happening, which made me confused. It’s usually clarified, but not always. The ending was satisfying and brought into focus some of the slippery parts. I can see some people not making it that far, though.
jsholzman's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
madrtz's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75