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introvertsbookclub's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.5
I am always so impressed by writers who can so precisely and vividly portray real life and everyday moments. Whose writing feels so natural and familiar. This is an astonishingly good book.
It is also a shocking read – in the way it is written, direct, unflinching and uncovering the hidden abuse and trauma lurking within British society; and in the plot itself. Despite that, there was something comforting in the protagonist’s nihilism, it gave permission to similar feelings of despair in the face of modern reincarnations of violence.
The novel was the perfect blend of personal and political, in that it showed that the two can never be separated. Each moment was informed by centuries of racism and colonialism; it was a story of the history of racism enacted on one body and the ways that person is trapped within racism and made complicit through their attempt to survive the system. It was complex and critical and an incredible pick for Black History Month.
It is also a shocking read – in the way it is written, direct, unflinching and uncovering the hidden abuse and trauma lurking within British society; and in the plot itself. Despite that, there was something comforting in the protagonist’s nihilism, it gave permission to similar feelings of despair in the face of modern reincarnations of violence.
The novel was the perfect blend of personal and political, in that it showed that the two can never be separated. Each moment was informed by centuries of racism and colonialism; it was a story of the history of racism enacted on one body and the ways that person is trapped within racism and made complicit through their attempt to survive the system. It was complex and critical and an incredible pick for Black History Month.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Racial slurs
hypocrisis's review against another edition
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
hard to stomach, in a good way.
more like poetry than a novel, really enjoyed the style. natasha brown knows people and how to cut to their core quickly.
there are many great quotes from this book, yet this one found its way into this unfairly brief review simply because i opened my notes app immediately upon reading it, starting the collection of quotations from assembly.
p.21
"Victimhood is a choice," Rach said. Part opinion, part mantra.
while the narrator is describing her best friend here, as the book unfolds it becomes apparent that - although they are not affected in the same way and navigate this differently - both women repress their true feelings, in the narrator's case going so for as to alter her personality, to survive an inhospitable environment (until she chooses to stop surviving).
edit: I still find myself thinking a lot about this book and i don't think it was entirely random of me to elaborate on this particular quote, though it must've been subconscious at the time which I'm slightly embarrassed about. Only now do i realise how much of the protagonists' perspective is revealed within those sentences and how they literally foreshadow the plot.
I can't do this book justice... but if you're thinking about reading it you really should!
more like poetry than a novel, really enjoyed the style. natasha brown knows people and how to cut to their core quickly.
there are many great quotes from this book, yet this one found its way into this unfairly brief review simply because i opened my notes app immediately upon reading it, starting the collection of quotations from assembly.
p.21
"Victimhood is a choice," Rach said. Part opinion, part mantra.
edit: I still find myself thinking a lot about this book and i don't think it was entirely random of me to elaborate on this particular quote, though it must've been subconscious at the time which I'm slightly embarrassed about. Only now do i realise how much of the protagonists' perspective is revealed within those sentences and how they literally foreshadow the plot.
I can't do this book justice... but if you're thinking about reading it you really should!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Racism, Cancer, Sexism, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Hate crime, Racial slurs, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Colonisation
endemictoearth's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
5.0
This book was fantastic. Searingly philosophical in a very essential way, it manages to do so much in such a short space/time.
The narrator is a Black British woman who has risen to the top of her financial field. She's very wealthy in her own right, and is dating a man who is probably somewhere in the aristocracy, certainly old white money. In the short space of the novella, he goes from 'the boyfriend' to 'the son' as she pulls further away from him and into her diagnosis.
Yes, she has just been diagnosed with advanced cancer. We aren't given details, other than her doctor is planning an aggressive treatment. She doesn't tell anyone, and seriously considers just . . . not. Not fighting, bc what does she really have to fight for? So, content warning for circuitous suicidal thoughts. (I saw some review that claimed those thoughts were disrespectful to people fighting cancer. And . . . I absolutely cannot with that sort of logic. Literature and stories are where we can try out thoughts and explore things. And we don't end the book with her irrevocably making the decision to NOT pursue treatment.)
But that is also missing the ENTIRE POINT of likening the cancerous cells in her body to the cancer that is white privilege. And she is probably best able to speak about that, bc she has been very very close to many forms of white privilege. Her co-workers who view her with suspicion and think she should be happy to share a promotion with a white upper class man who 'needs this for his family'. Her best friend who can fuck up and fail and shrug and go on and isn't held to anything like the same standards our narrator must maintain or be ostracized. Her boyfriend who takes the family estate and lands as his birthright and not something that has been passed down with blood-covered hands. White privilege that begets yet and yet more privilege further and further removed from anyone who's done anything to earn it, and those things and the 'earning' were done on the backs of everyone else.
This book is INCISIVE. It cuts DEEP. And I recommend it to everyone. It's short and not at all sweet.
The narrator is a Black British woman who has risen to the top of her financial field. She's very wealthy in her own right, and is dating a man who is probably somewhere in the aristocracy, certainly old white money. In the short space of the novella, he goes from 'the boyfriend' to 'the son' as she pulls further away from him and into her diagnosis.
Yes, she has just been diagnosed with advanced cancer. We aren't given details, other than her doctor is planning an aggressive treatment. She doesn't tell anyone, and seriously considers just . . . not. Not fighting, bc what does she really have to fight for? So, content warning for circuitous suicidal thoughts. (I saw some review that claimed those thoughts were disrespectful to people fighting cancer. And . . . I absolutely cannot with that sort of logic. Literature and stories are where we can try out thoughts and explore things. And we don't end the book with her irrevocably making the decision to NOT pursue treatment.)
But that is also missing the ENTIRE POINT of likening the cancerous cells in her body to the cancer that is white privilege. And she is probably best able to speak about that, bc she has been very very close to many forms of white privilege. Her co-workers who view her with suspicion and think she should be happy to share a promotion with a white upper class man who 'needs this for his family'. Her best friend who can fuck up and fail and shrug and go on and isn't held to anything like the same standards our narrator must maintain or be ostracized. Her boyfriend who takes the family estate and lands as his birthright and not something that has been passed down with blood-covered hands. White privilege that begets yet and yet more privilege further and further removed from anyone who's done anything to earn it, and those things and the 'earning' were done on the backs of everyone else.
This book is INCISIVE. It cuts DEEP. And I recommend it to everyone. It's short and not at all sweet.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
anneklein's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.25
holy shit
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Hate crime, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Terminal illness, Classism, Misogyny, Medical content, Racism, Sexism, Cancer, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Xenophobia
zoesta's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and Cancer
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Colonisation
vickypurry's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
slow-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? It's complicated
4.0
Amazingly written, devastating story, and an extraordinary critique on colonial legacy and capitalism in the UK.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and Terminal illness
george_tte's review against another edition
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Started this book not knowing what to expect. Then three hours had gone by and I’d finished the book.
It’s not an easy read. This book touches on big, systemic problems. The author finds amazing ways to discuss the ever present discomfort and tension, while keeping it very intimate.
Definitely check this book out!
It’s not an easy read. This book touches on big, systemic problems. The author finds amazing ways to discuss the ever present discomfort and tension, while keeping it very intimate.
Definitely check this book out!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Misogyny, and Colonisation
Moderate: Cancer
ghost_story's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Cancer
min3's review against another edition
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
marjoleinvanderspoel's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
4.5
"Doing nothing is also a choice."
Amazing. Just as good as everyone said it was. From the very beginning this book will leave you with a gut-wrenching feeling of horrible injustice, and while the themes tackled change and evolve throughout the story, that feeling remains. The only thing I didn't love was the insinutaion that paying taxes was bad, although this was later explained to be because the government funded repayment to slave owners after the liberation with taxpayers money, so I guess it makes sense in that context. Another nuance to add to the conversation, I suppose, although I remain firmly pro paying taxes.
Amazing. Just as good as everyone said it was. From the very beginning this book will leave you with a gut-wrenching feeling of horrible injustice, and while the themes tackled change and evolve throughout the story, that feeling remains. The only thing I didn't love was the insinutaion that paying taxes was bad, although this was later explained to be because the government funded repayment to slave owners after the liberation with taxpayers money, so I guess it makes sense in that context. Another nuance to add to the conversation, I suppose, although I remain firmly pro paying taxes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Racism, Cancer, and Sexism