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hckilgour's review against another edition
I dnf’ed at 47%
I honestly just didn’t care about any of the characters. And I was honestly really peeved that the grandma decided victim blaming (the women in their family are just too pretty) was the right way to go when rationalizing rape (even if it was realistic).
I also just didn’t see how the two women’s stories were connected (outside of the murder).
And honestly, almost nothing happened.
I honestly just didn’t care about any of the characters. And I was honestly really peeved that the grandma decided victim blaming (the women in their family are just too pretty) was the right way to go when rationalizing rape (even if it was realistic).
I also just didn’t see how the two women’s stories were connected (outside of the murder).
And honestly, almost nothing happened.
treberry's review
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
3.0
this was brutal! It’s a completely different lens of the tropical paradise that is Barbados. A dead baby. Crime. Women with no voice, subjected to hell on a daily basis in such a beautiful place. It was very gutting and full of different types of abuse.
Whew, this was a heavy read, but I’m used to reading soul crushing stories. I had the misfortune of reading this while studying for an exam so my nerves were pretty much all over the place.
This is a deeply wounding story that will forever make me wince at the thought of it!
bocasbri's review against another edition
3.5
this is a story filled with pain and heartbreak. i felt for lala on so many levels. i found all the intersecting characters to be interesting. the author did a good job at making you feel for these characters and wanting to see them succeed (well at least some of them lol).
unfortunately, i found myself struggling through the book. many of the characters didn’t have enough depth for me to be interested in their story. the writing was a bit choppy and hard to follow at some points.
kate_cunningham's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
plaidpladd's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
pegasusgm's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.75
lattelibrarian's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I picked this book for my discussion group and I'm excited to see what they have to say about it. It's unlike much of what we've read: it features multiple perspectives, the characters are complicated in an obvious way, and there's no easy resolution. Then again, it is also similar to what we've read in that it discusses difficult themes such as abuse, intergenerational trauma, and grief.
This book is a small slice of life after Adan kills a wealthy white man and his own daughter (though he won't admit to the latter). Lala, his wife and main character, must reckon with this while also understanding that she can no longer lay low or suffer his abuse. Her story is framed by that of the one-armed sister, who went into a tunnel when she wasn't supposed to and came out with one arm. Lala wonders why this tale is cautionary: the one-armed sister can still cook and clean, though it might be more difficult. Her grandmother Wilma retorts, how is she going to sweep her house? Well, this story explains how.
Lala went into her own tunnel and married Adan. Though he does physically harm her, but not to the extent of her losing her arm, she is totally restrained. He steals her money, he silences her, he traumatizes her. She is no longer, metaphorically speaking, a complete woman. Something about her has been lost along the way, and it's all thanks to Adan. And, of course, it's Adan who goes into the tunnels and he, until the end, remains unharmed.
We are also privy to their history: how Lala and Adan grew up, how Adan doesn't know that Lala and his best friend Tone know each other from childhood, how Lala's mother died. The stories weave together to create a scenic yet terrifying backdrop of how they came to be.
I so wished for Adan to be punished. I wanted the police officer to solve the case. I wanted Mira to have her justice. But books like these don't give us a neat ending. Instead, they give us a new beginning.
This book is a small slice of life after Adan kills a wealthy white man and his own daughter (though he won't admit to the latter). Lala, his wife and main character, must reckon with this while also understanding that she can no longer lay low or suffer his abuse. Her story is framed by that of the one-armed sister, who went into a tunnel when she wasn't supposed to and came out with one arm. Lala wonders why this tale is cautionary: the one-armed sister can still cook and clean, though it might be more difficult. Her grandmother Wilma retorts, how is she going to sweep her house? Well, this story explains how.
Lala went into her own tunnel and married Adan. Though he does physically harm her, but not to the extent of her losing her arm, she is totally restrained. He steals her money, he silences her, he traumatizes her. She is no longer, metaphorically speaking, a complete woman. Something about her has been lost along the way, and it's all thanks to Adan. And, of course, it's Adan who goes into the tunnels and he, until the end, remains unharmed.
We are also privy to their history: how Lala and Adan grew up, how Adan doesn't know that Lala and his best friend Tone know each other from childhood, how Lala's mother died. The stories weave together to create a scenic yet terrifying backdrop of how they came to be.
I so wished for Adan to be punished. I wanted the police officer to solve the case. I wanted Mira to have her justice. But books like these don't give us a neat ending. Instead, they give us a new beginning.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Misogyny, and Child death
howiliv's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-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
3.75
alexture's review against another edition
3.75
A haunting, terrible tale.
Lala has a husband. He's not a good man. In fact, he killed a man, whose wife had a husband and doesn't anymore.
Lala has a child, for a week. Then she doesn't, and her husband blames her and she knows he'll kill her if she doesn't leave.
Lala doesn't leave.
There are no good characters in this novel, least of all the cop who only follows his prejudiced instincts and his horny thoughts - in another world, this could have been a crime novel with a great detective story. It's not, it's really not.
Awful and brilliant.
Lala has a husband. He's not a good man. In fact, he killed a man, whose wife had a husband and doesn't anymore.
Lala has a child, for a week. Then she doesn't, and her husband blames her and she knows he'll kill her if she doesn't leave.
Lala doesn't leave.
There are no good characters in this novel, least of all the cop who only follows his prejudiced instincts and his horny thoughts - in another world, this could have been a crime novel with a great detective story. It's not, it's really not.
Awful and brilliant.