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besidemyshelf's review against another edition
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Racial slurs, Suicide, Violence, Homophobia, Religious bigotry, Racism, Alcohol, and Grief
glitterdeww's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
It took me awhile to write this review because there were a number of aspects I wanted to fully digest before getting into it. Unlike most of my reviews, there will be spoilers ahead.
The response to this novel is overwhelmingly positive, and I firmly believe that I understand why... However 😅... I have a few criticisms. I think there are notable issues with this plot that I have rarely seen discussed, and I think I can mostly pin down the reasons why. So here we go...
I'm rating this 3.5 stars because, even with my criticisms, I enjoyed this and couldn't put it down after I was about 60% through it. So I will give it credit where credit is due. The author's creation of atmosphere is superbly done. I felt wrapped up in this book, like I could feel, smell, and taste just about every moment of the story. The focus on setting slows the pace of the novel, but it is done so well that I can't fault the decision. A+ on that aspect. Also the pivotal characters of the story as a whole felt very individual and realistic. I believe both the narrator, Frank, and his younger brother are an accurate depiction of adolescence maturing quickly in the face of violence.
But that said, there were hangups I had with the characters and the plot points of the novel. First off, the ways in which information was aquired in order to further the plot of the story through the eyes of these young boys felt like a big stretch. There were too many instances in which eavesdropping and happenstance are employed to further the plot through the eyes of these young boys. There's way too much luck happening there to be believable...
Though perhaps it's not supposed to be luck, but rather divine intervention. Like in one particular scene, where Frank seems to see the shadow of the church pointing directly at him. The end results of his decision to then go into the church and eavesdrop are a whole different matter than I'll mention later... because, woof, that was an unnecessary trope to throw in here.
I know that this is set in the 1960s and in a small town in Minnesota. I get it, and I understand what the culture of that small town would inherently look like. I also understand that a main focus of the plot centers on a lot of Christian spirituality. The problem I encountered surrounding these aspects was the way in which this cast of characters was so skewed.
There was not a single non-white, queer, or disabled / differently-abled character in this story who was not relegated to a tragic side character or a "villain." Not a single one. Even the young boy who died prior to the events of the story was talked about using the R slur, and was said to be simple-minded. Ariel was born with a facial deformity. Why was that even there? She could have had anything to do with her that meant she could have been called names, but it had to be a deformity? And then she, like Morris Engdhal because he was tragic too, became even more otherized through her actions. And then there was the kill-your-gays trope... As soon as that character came out I knew he was going to kill himself. There was zero question in my head. And that death was a direct result of Frank eavesdropping. The resulting blame was barely even acknowledged, not for Frank and Jake and not for the gossiping teenage-brained police officer who was never held accountable for shit the entire novel. Unsurprisingly... And finally, there's Jake. The ordinary act of grace is that his stutter goes away... He loses his disability, an overall positive effect on his life to be sure, and that is the signifier of his either new found or reborn belief in God. So at the end, he is no longer one of the tragic group, for THAT reason alone.
Their storylines are dictated based on tropes that are so tired and overdone. I was truly surprised to see the events laid out the way that they were and very few reviews acknowledge it. But as I said before, I feel like there's an obvious answer as to why. I am not the demographic of person whom would be the typical audience for this book. I think the typical audience for this sort of story looks far more like Frank and his living family... Straight, white, traditional, and masculine. The more someone's character, in the novel, became otherized from that demographic, the greater the degree their character would suffer. This was one of the main reasons that the plot was so easy to guess, because it's such a subversive tactic. And I'm very frustrated because I'm certain that so many people who praised themselves for guessing the things that we're going to happen next DID NOT notice that. Not because they couldn't, but because it's so ingrained in our culture to do that to certain types of characters. And what that does is further stereotypes. Which is tired and boring and lazy.
And yet, what did I say at the beginning.... I think I did like this story. Because everything else was done well enough. It's just written for people who wouldn't be bothered by it's messaging.
The response to this novel is overwhelmingly positive, and I firmly believe that I understand why... However 😅... I have a few criticisms. I think there are notable issues with this plot that I have rarely seen discussed, and I think I can mostly pin down the reasons why. So here we go...
I'm rating this 3.5 stars because, even with my criticisms, I enjoyed this and couldn't put it down after I was about 60% through it. So I will give it credit where credit is due. The author's creation of atmosphere is superbly done. I felt wrapped up in this book, like I could feel, smell, and taste just about every moment of the story. The focus on setting slows the pace of the novel, but it is done so well that I can't fault the decision. A+ on that aspect. Also the pivotal characters of the story as a whole felt very individual and realistic. I believe both the narrator, Frank, and his younger brother are an accurate depiction of adolescence maturing quickly in the face of violence.
But that said, there were hangups I had with the characters and the plot points of the novel. First off, the ways in which information was aquired in order to further the plot of the story through the eyes of these young boys felt like a big stretch. There were too many instances in which eavesdropping and happenstance are employed to further the plot through the eyes of these young boys. There's way too much luck happening there to be believable...
I know that this is set in the 1960s and in a small town in Minnesota. I get it, and I understand what the culture of that small town would inherently look like. I also understand that a main focus of the plot centers on a lot of Christian spirituality. The problem I encountered surrounding these aspects was the way in which this cast of characters was so skewed.
Their storylines are dictated based on tropes that are so tired and overdone. I was truly surprised to see the events laid out the way that they were and very few reviews acknowledge it. But as I said before, I feel like there's an obvious answer as to why. I am not the demographic of person whom would be the typical audience for this book. I think the typical audience for this sort of story looks far more like Frank and his living family... Straight, white, traditional, and masculine. The more someone's character, in the novel, became otherized from that demographic, the greater the degree their character would suffer. This was one of the main reasons that the plot was so easy to guess, because it's such a subversive tactic. And I'm very frustrated because I'm certain that so many people who praised themselves for guessing the things that we're going to happen next DID NOT notice that. Not because they couldn't, but because it's so ingrained in our culture to do that to certain types of characters. And what that does is further stereotypes. Which is tired and boring and lazy.
And yet, what did I say at the beginning.... I think I did like this story. Because everything else was done well enough. It's just written for people who wouldn't be bothered by it's messaging.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, and Murder
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Religious bigotry, Racial slurs, and Suicide
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