Reviews - Bina: A Novel in Warnings

88 reviews for:

Bina: A Novel in Warnings

Anakana Schofield

3.48 AVERAGE

bepbop's review against another edition

3.5

dark lighthearted mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

bjr2022's review against another edition

4.0

Bina, the first-person narrator, has such an authentic, idiosyncratic, heartfelt voice that it is almost impossible to write a review immediately after finishing it/her without mimicking her.

Ergo:

Warnings

Do not read this book if you only like generic voices you recognize because you've read them millions of times and they are familiar.

Only read this book on the blasted Kindle if you cannot possibly get your mitts on a hard copy paperback. There are footnotes at the bottom of many pages and large white spaces and an inventive layout of line breaks that are best seen from a tactile paper book held in your mitts.

Do not be fooled by the page length of said paperback (313 pages). Because of the aforementioned layout, it reads faster than a 150-pager.

Do not ignore the beautiful cover (Katy Homans, designer; George Shaw, art), best held in your mitts while you swoon and breathe on it. (You cannot do this with a Kindle.)

Do not be daunted by the fact that as you are reading and laughing, you may not know exactly what is going on or what Bina is talking about. Patience! It will all come clear.

Remarkings

This book is not like any other because it is written by a writer named Anakana Schofield who probably has never considered writing anything by mimicking anybody else. She writes from her own muse and doesn't give a fig about what you might be used to reading. This is a great thing, to be applauded.

If I told anything at all about the plot, you would be justified in offing me. And since I like my life, mum's the word.

But if you understand the death of a friend, if you understand having had enough, this may be a book for you.

caitpaige_'s review against another edition

4.0

challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

dizzyindecision's review against another edition

DID NOT FINISH: 55%

I think this is one of those books that doesn’t translate to audio well. I’ll have to see if I can ever get my hands on a physical copy because I’m definitely still interested but it just isn’t clicking for me.

aznvlma's review against another edition

3.75

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

what begins as a manifesto against the terrible, no-good men of the world (of which there are many!) becomes a beautiful and sad elegy to female friendship. reminds me deeply of this passage from Sula:

“‘All that time, all that time, I thought I was missing Jude.’ And the loss pressed down on her chest and came up into her throat. ‘We was girls together,’ she said as though explaining something. ‘O Lord, Sula,’ she cried, ‘girl, girl, girlgirlgirl.’ It was a fine cry—loud and long—but it had no bottom and it had not top, just circles and circles of sorrow.”

Content Warnings