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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This is a heavy book, emotionally loaded to the brim. It's raw, unforgiving, an open wound pulsating. And it's a mirror of real life.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Bullying, Homophobia
Minor: Cancer, Car accident, Death of parent
challenging
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
I really liked the narration of the audiobook, but I had trouble keeping track of the timeline with the time jumps
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs
Moderate: Death, Homophobia, Medical content, Murder
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
A beautifully written book! I love when the writing is accessible and "no-frills" and yet so evocative. Certain parts of the book didn't have the emotional impact I was expecting, given my feelings when I started, but maybe that was down to me hurrying to finish it for movie night with my sister? Unclear! Given the journey I was taken on here, I can't get over how short this book is!
Update: If you can watch the movie not long after - I watched it that very night on the same day I finished it - it really adds to the whole experience of this work!
Update: If you can watch the movie not long after - I watched it that very night on the same day I finished it - it really adds to the whole experience of this work!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Grief
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Wow. What an absolutely brilliant book. So much shared in such a short space of pages. It's wonderful to see what one can do even in a short book.
From the very start I knew I would love it - and I knew it would break my heart. I have to first congratulate David C on his writing, so poetic, so subtle yet powerful and meaningful, his ability to work with the English language was wonderful and meant I could fully emerse in this world.
I found the journey we went on with the two brothers to be an emotional one. I think this was smartly done though I had to work hard to navigate the time jumps and this was the only thing that prevented me from fully immersing and rating it a 5*s.
Looking forward to watching the movie now and seeing how it compares .... Though I can't imagine it could do such a book justice!
From the very start I knew I would love it - and I knew it would break my heart. I have to first congratulate David C on his writing, so poetic, so subtle yet powerful and meaningful, his ability to work with the English language was wonderful and meant I could fully emerse in this world.
I found the journey we went on with the two brothers to be an emotional one. I think this was smartly done though I had to work hard to navigate the time jumps and this was the only thing that prevented me from fully immersing and rating it a 5*s.
Looking forward to watching the movie now and seeing how it compares .... Though I can't imagine it could do such a book justice!
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
She peeled a cabbage but then continued removing leaves until nothing was left, just her panicked eyes and trembling hands.
“Oh,” she said softly.
“It’s all right, Mother.”
“Oh dear.”
This was a very sad and frustrating little story about institutional racism and casual homophobia and police brutality and gang culture. It was also a very sad and frustrating little story about grief and loss and distance in a family.
Very beautiful writing, very real and well-developed characters, heartbreakingly human reactions.
I am SO overdue for a funny book.
”But look closer,” she said, eyes still closed. “Cup your hand and feel the proof of them against you. They’re not trash. They’re living things. And they’re flying.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence
Moderate: Child death, Death, Homophobia, Sexual content, Xenophobia
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Per no anar a la presó per calúmnies no faré cap crítica.
While this book may be short, it packs an emotional punch. I give it a solid 3.5 rating, it is well written and heartbreaking, but I had a hard time really getting into it until close to the end. A tale of two brothers in Scarborough, Ontario in the 1990's, this book handles the topic of family, loss, grief and love poignantly, without being too wordy. I would recommend it if you like reading about those topics.
Beautiful, brutal, bare! I'm still getting used to reading books set in places in Toronto. Will revisit this one soon.
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes