Reviews tagging 'Injury/Injury detail'

The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle

9 reviews

ruthypoo2's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I understand this is a reimagining of the H.P. Lovecraft book, The Call of Cthulhu. I haven't read any Lovecraft books, but I suspect they are reflective of the time during which they were written and not as socially conscious as many modern readers would prefer. In The Ballad of Black Tom, author Victor LaValle has established a racially biased and unequal setting where the main character, Tom Tester, lives a life where he is subjugated to the white population, despite his significant intellect and social charms. Tom is a street hustler, but skillful knowing when he must humble himself to survive, such as when he's questioned by the white police for no good reason. Tom knows how to play the part while an anger of discontent wells up within him, brought to a boil when his gentle, elderly father is gunned down during a baseless home invasion perpetrated by the police.

The author tells a story that answers the question, how far would a man go to flip the order and come out on top of his oppressors. Could someone be beat down so badly and feeling such grief for the loss of their contentment that they would strike a bargain with the devil? This novella is rich in world building and creates a very palpable dynamic between the main characters. There are a lot of eerie scenarios described in the book and experienced by Tom, but always looking for the best opportunity, Tom keeps a clear head and weighs his odds to come up with the decision that's best for him.

This book blends historical fiction, horror, and fantasy, but it's never taken too far outside the natural world we know. That happens just enough to catch glimpses into the possibilities that entice Tom and others to gamble on leaving the life they know to pursue the glory that can be found in other dimensions. It's a clever story and I was thoroughly entertained. I listened to the audiobook and found the narration of Kevin R. Free to be mesmerizing and especially suited to this story.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent, Police brutality, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Death, Murder, Racism, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Alcohol

Minor: Grief

tey_lynn's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Racism, Police brutality, Death of parent, Murder, Blood, Racial slurs, Violence, Gun violence, Cursing, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

bi_n_large's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Murder, Police brutality, Death, Violence, Death of parent, Racism, and Racial slurs

jaimc's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Blood, Death of parent, Racial slurs, Gun violence, Police brutality, and Racism

pizzaisjesus98's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Violence, Gore, Racial slurs, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Police brutality, and Hate crime

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Xenophobia, Classism, Death of parent, Grief, and Gun violence

Minor: Stalking, Slavery, Confinement, Dysphoria, Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, Sexual assault, and Deportation

coaxmetal's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Murder

octopus_farmer's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense 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

3.5

All I knew about the Lovecraft story it remakes is that it was a Lovecraft story. I liked the book - I found LaValle’s meditations on structural and individual racism poignant. I almost want to read the original. Not enough to actually do it though.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Gun violence, Police brutality, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Murder, Blood, and Violence

Minor: Racial slurs

billyjepma's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense 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

4.5

Intoxicatingly excellent. In barely a 100 pages, LaValle tells a story that upends the grotesque xenophobia of H.P. Lovecraft and exposes how real evil isn’t found in the cosmic unknown, but in the very known prejudices and violences American society uses against its own people. 

This isn’t a horror story, at least not in the traditional means, but it is a horrifying story. The Lovecraftian elements are fantastically unsettling, and are easily elevated by LaValle’s crisp, humanistic, almost poetic writing style. It’s that writing that makes the all-too-familiar racism and violence—spearheaded by society’s elite, the police force, and the foundation of our country— cut so deep, too. I wish the it had a little more meat to it, because there’s so much left to mine, but I can’t wait to read a helluva lot more of LaValle’s work. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Death of parent, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, and Police brutality

Moderate: Grief, Gun violence, Murder, Racial slurs, and Violence

_fallinglight_'s review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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: Racial slurs, Racism, Police brutality, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Death of parent, and Death

Moderate: Suicide attempt

Minor: Body shaming and Fatphobia