Reviews tagging 'Grief'

What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky by Lesley Nneka Arimah

6 reviews

kananineko's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Child death, Death, Grief, Blood, Classism, Violence, Abandonment, Sexism, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, and Misogyny

Moderate: Suicide attempt, War, Car accident, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

Minor: Gun violence

ka_cam's review

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad fast-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? Yes

4.75

Once I started reading this short story collection it was hard to stop! Quite varied in types but themes of connection, family, diaspora, and women’s relationships/desires (incl some casual queerness love 2 see it). Some of the stories read more like teasers or brainstorms for a longer story/novel, rather than complete short stories. All in all really enjoyed and am excited to read more by this author! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Sexual content, Child abuse, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Gun violence, Colonisation, Murder, Racism, War, Body horror, Pedophilia, Death of parent, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Grief, Mental illness, and Misogyny

Minor: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Body shaming, Car accident, and Blood

moonlitemuseum's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

The platter of misery served up by Lesley Nneka Arimah is so potent and rich that I could barely stomach it. It took me two tries to get through this anthology of short stories in full, but what a range! So many left me feeling haunted, empty, gnawing, but thoroughly sustained in spite of that.

I originally heard the titular "What It Means When A Man Falls from the Sky" on Levar Burton's podcast and it shook me to the core. A world where math=empathy, where our current climate troubles turn global politics inside-out, where grief is empirically indigestible—i loved everything about the anxious world she wove in this story. It hits like a bullet every time.

Most of the stories take a grain of sadness in the lives of women and inspect it under a microscope. How do they fail themselves? How are they failed by the societies around them? How do they continue on? I often dreaded the pause that signaled the end of the story, knowing its characters would be left there, suspended in their grief. It's incredibly effective work. I can't wait to read more from this author.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage

Moderate: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Death, Sexism, Grief, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Abandonment, Violence, Physical abuse, Medical trauma, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Child death, Body shaming, Blood, and Bullying

princeofthefleshprison's review

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes

5.0

Dark, poignant, and melancholy all throughout, What It Means When A Man Falls From the Sky is an accomplished collection. Grief and generational trauma haunt all of the eclectic characters, whether that be a pregnant teenage con artist or a goddess searching for her children. Spanning across the diverse settings its protagonists find themselves in —from modern-day US to futuristic Lagos —  each story is written with noteworthy wit and simplicity, just before the final, gut-wrenching end. Highly recommend, 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death of parent, Grief, Child death, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Pregnancy, Sexual violence, and War

etosaurus's review

dark sad

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Grief

Moderate: Pedophilia, Xenophobia, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Child death

Minor: Infidelity

franklybookish's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Grief, Miscarriage, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt