Reviews

Really love this book!! It’s hilarious but also moving and thoughtful and so creative. The first story blows me away every time I read it. Like, for real.

alicebme's review against another edition

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5.0

So good. All of them. They zip around your body and then nestle in.

aerialsshelfielife's review against another edition

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The themes went slightly above my head

jen_read24's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.0

africanbookaddict's review against another edition

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4.0

Definitely 3.5 stars.
Fave stories: ‘Belle Lettres’ - hilarious; ‘Suicide, Watch’ - reminded me that soooo many people are actually not well within; ‘Not Today, Marjorie’ - whew! My absolute favorite... so many Christians are parading around feigning piousness. It's just so frustrating and sad to me; ‘This Todd’ - was so fucking absurd and frightening, but amazing. Kim was disgustingly insane. I also love how we encountered Brian again in the next story, as an anthropology grad student.

Overall- good collection, not intended for the white gaze. I actually don’t know how a non-Black reader would even enjoy this collection or understand some of the nuances she captures. Nafissa’s ability to write/describe uncomfortable and very specific topics is commendable.

I just wished some of the stories celebrated Blackness more. The first and last stories were traumatic af. That last story killed my vibe tbh... I understand that Nafissa wanted readers to be reminded that being Black isn’t a monolith, but dang. Gimme some joy, please.

timna_wyckoff's review against another edition

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5.0

Highly recommend this short story collection; pieces are loosely linked, all distinct and memorable.

happyblkhippie's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective 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

This was a random pick of short stories that was meant to help break up the heavy, dense sociology books I've been reading recently, but ended up being different than I thought. However I enjoyed it more than thought I would. It's fairly quick and what I really like about it being short stories is you can read them in any order if you want. A few of them do have some overlap with characters.

It's definitely witty, dark, satire and makes you laugh, but not in a hahaha way more like a snicker. I found the characters to be quite the bunch of irreverent, sometimes cringe, insufferable and beautifully flawed people.

My Fave shorts

Fátima: The Bilquist: A Transformation Story
Suicide Watch
Belles Lettres
The Subject of Consumption
Whisper to a Scream

I enjoyed how the author showed a range of different nuanced experiences of Black people and the Black experience from a middle and upper class perspective. It does tackle some heavier topics in a satirical way, but check the trigger warnings. Overall it's a good niche selection of shorts.

Content Warnings

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