Scan barcode
serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
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
4.0
The Unsettled is the story of Ava, her son Touissant, and her mother Dutchess. It’s set during the 1980s in Philadelphia and Alabama. Ava and Touissant end up in a homeless shelter after her abusive husband kicks her out. Ava reconnects with Cass, Touissant’s father, and they move to a community he leads focussed on Black liberation. It’s safe to say this is not the utopia they might wish it to be. Meanwhile Dutchess is struggling since Bonaparte, the Black owned town where she lives, is on the verge of extinction. The first section of the book set in the family shelter was probably my favourite. I found the conditions in the shelter, the attitudes of the staff and the bureaucracy surrounding it to be both infuriating and eye-opening. This book had a lot to say about race and the many ways it affects the lives of Black Americans, and about intergenerational trauma, how one event can affect those not even born when it occurred. By and large it is a depressing read, although there is a glimmer of hope for the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Gun violence, and Police brutality
killerpancake's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
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? Yes
4.5
This was charged with so much fear and anxiety it was hard to read and hard to not read. Mathis is so incredible with characters and it made it so hard to watch people you were rooting for make terrible decisions over and over again.
I could write forever about Ava and her lack of self-preservation. Her story is so hard to wrap my head around and yet it’s also unique and well executed.
The ending went where I thought it might but felt really abrupt. The closure didn’t really explain everything that I was curious about. It just felt rushed I guess.
This is very different from her first book but I’m really glad I stuck with this to its tragic and conflicting end.
I could write forever about Ava and her lack of self-preservation. Her story is so hard to wrap my head around and yet it’s also unique and well executed.
The ending went where I thought it might but felt really abrupt. The closure didn’t really explain everything that I was curious about. It just felt rushed I guess.
This is very different from her first book but I’m really glad I stuck with this to its tragic and conflicting end.
boddhirocks's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
lulureads365's review against another edition
3.0
Every type of pain and trauma that a person can endure is depicted in some type of way in this story.
I don’t wanna say I enjoyed the story, because it is truly sad and painful. The author did a great job (in my opinion) of brining the story and its characters to life, but I was left with so many questions and no type of closure or healing. That was a disappointment. Maybe we’ll meet these characters again.
This would be a good book club selection.
I don’t wanna say I enjoyed the story, because it is truly sad and painful. The author did a great job (in my opinion) of brining the story and its characters to life, but I was left with so many questions and no type of closure or healing. That was a disappointment. Maybe we’ll meet these characters again.
This would be a good book club selection.
spinstah's review against another edition
5.0
This was pretty absorbing once I settled in. It’s not an easy story; everyone in it is to connect with and be seen by someone else who can’t quite give that to them. The ending gestures towards closure, which felt just right to me.
zoegberg's review against another edition
I liked this book, though I felt it was uneven. Slow in the beginning and really gained momentum about halfway through. Loved the Philly references.
abitofmoxie's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
andieevalee's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
2.75
briisbooked's review against another edition
5.0
Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Randomhouse for the advance copy.
This book unsettled me, and it was also a book I thought I would not finish. It turns out you have to get uncomfortable with this novel to get to the good stuff.
Ava and Toussaint get kicked out of the story by Ava's husband, which leads to the search for shelter. We are also introduced to Dutchess (Ava's mom), who lives in a town called Bonaparte. Because the depiction was so lush, I imagined this settlement to be nothing more than a sizable clearing in the middle of a forest. There's something eerie about this town and Ava and Tousy's situation. I couldn't put my finger on it, and I think that's the reason why I struggled in the middle of this book. I was trying to place pieces of the puzzle when everything had not been laid out for me yet. Proceed with caution when reading, as you may get confused too.
Onto Ava's situation or mindset: she is one of those individuals who feels I am too good for this homeless shelter but must stay because I have nowhere else to go. It infuriated me because, girl, please!! This type of behavior Ava exhibits trickles over onto her child, Toussaint. I am not entirely sure if this woman was so unsettled by life that she could not see the needs of her child, but he was constantly crying out for help throughout the entire book. It's interesting because at first I was invested in Ava, but when I started to hear Toussaint's thoughts, I immediately switched to him. Toussaint has a relentless need to belong. The reader may trace the progression of this theme as well as how identity, grief, and the importance of love are defined. These characters in this book are all unsettled in some way, shape, or form. They are struggling to find a place to call home.
As bad as I wanted Ava and Tousy to have a stable place to live. Having Cassius Wright (Ava's partner and Toussaint's father) in their lives was anything but that. It actually got worse, in my opinion, and I'm excited to hear what everyone thinks about him once he's introduced.
Ava and Toussaint move from place to place. Dutchess even reflects on how her younger years were traumatizing and unstable. Cassius Wright (Ava's partner) moves from place to place too. There is a constant weight on everyone's shoulders. There are so many things to unpack in this book, but this review is getting long. Please someone go request this book so we can ride an emotional rollercoaster together. I still have unanswered questions, and maybe I will get to participate in an author talk, and when more people I know read this book, I can ask them as well.
- Was that a cult in this book?
- Why were the scenes in the beginning so choppy?
- Does Toussaint get a book of his own?
- Does Ava have Stockholm Syndrome or another condition?
- How does Bonaparte play an important role in this story?
4.5/5⭐️
This book unsettled me, and it was also a book I thought I would not finish. It turns out you have to get uncomfortable with this novel to get to the good stuff.
Ava and Toussaint get kicked out of the story by Ava's husband, which leads to the search for shelter. We are also introduced to Dutchess (Ava's mom), who lives in a town called Bonaparte. Because the depiction was so lush, I imagined this settlement to be nothing more than a sizable clearing in the middle of a forest. There's something eerie about this town and Ava and Tousy's situation. I couldn't put my finger on it, and I think that's the reason why I struggled in the middle of this book. I was trying to place pieces of the puzzle when everything had not been laid out for me yet. Proceed with caution when reading, as you may get confused too.
Onto Ava's situation or mindset: she is one of those individuals who feels I am too good for this homeless shelter but must stay because I have nowhere else to go. It infuriated me because, girl, please!! This type of behavior Ava exhibits trickles over onto her child, Toussaint. I am not entirely sure if this woman was so unsettled by life that she could not see the needs of her child, but he was constantly crying out for help throughout the entire book. It's interesting because at first I was invested in Ava, but when I started to hear Toussaint's thoughts, I immediately switched to him. Toussaint has a relentless need to belong. The reader may trace the progression of this theme as well as how identity, grief, and the importance of love are defined. These characters in this book are all unsettled in some way, shape, or form. They are struggling to find a place to call home.
As bad as I wanted Ava and Tousy to have a stable place to live. Having Cassius Wright (Ava's partner and Toussaint's father) in their lives was anything but that. It actually got worse, in my opinion, and I'm excited to hear what everyone thinks about him once he's introduced.
Ava and Toussaint move from place to place. Dutchess even reflects on how her younger years were traumatizing and unstable. Cassius Wright (Ava's partner) moves from place to place too. There is a constant weight on everyone's shoulders. There are so many things to unpack in this book, but this review is getting long. Please someone go request this book so we can ride an emotional rollercoaster together. I still have unanswered questions, and maybe I will get to participate in an author talk, and when more people I know read this book, I can ask them as well.
- Was that a cult in this book?
- Why were the scenes in the beginning so choppy?
- Does Toussaint get a book of his own?
- Does Ava have Stockholm Syndrome or another condition?
- How does Bonaparte play an important role in this story?
4.5/5⭐️
mikefromarkansas's review against another edition
3.0
I really looked forward to reading this book. Ava and Toussaint can never seem to get a break. They are dealing with a bad hand but keep moving forward to make a life. Poverty really keeps you down. You see a lot of societies underbelly in this book. There is a lot of sad and deep themes. It’s hard for me to relate having lived a more privileged life. The story is very realistic. I gave it 3 stars but would rate it more 3.5. There is a lot of use of the N word but it’s usually by Ava using it about another black person. As the title is aptly named, at the end of this novel everything still remains unsettled.