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brokenspine's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism
paperd's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
meghanwalsh's review against another edition
3.0
This book was affecting, but I struggled sometimes with the way it was structured, which is absolutely not saying it is done badly, probably speaks more to my intelligence!!
chrisiant's review against another edition
4.0
I want to give this book to everyone who’s ever wondered if microaggressions are a real thing. Told through vignettes as the main character lies shot by police on her own driveway, it comes together like a crazy quilt of moments from throughout The Mother’s life, nearly all with some element of racist cruelty. The persistent “but where are you REALLY from”s, the kids who won’t play with brown kids, the constant disbelief that she is educated and speaks fluent English.
It’s a beautiful and painful telling of a death by a thousand cuts and one woman’s attempt to tolerate it/fight it/survive it, and teach her kids to do the same.
It’s a beautiful and painful telling of a death by a thousand cuts and one woman’s attempt to tolerate it/fight it/survive it, and teach her kids to do the same.
premxs's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 stars
I really wanted to like this book more than I did. Laskar's poetry is a clear and shining influence here, and the imagery of the book worked well for me, conveying a sense of the fragmented life she remembers - deliberately or otherwise. The experimental vignette-based form of the novel itself worked well in parts - however, for too much of the book, it felt like the narrative was constrained by the form, rather than liberated by it. The chapters didn't really have a rhythm between them, and the character sketches aren't compelling. The narrator, the Mother, has clearly faced much prejudice and bigotry, and it's a constantly unnerving presence throughout the book, but it also gets grating beyond a point, reeled off one after the other without any real perspective brought to the reader by the repetitive incidents of racism and sexism. I understand the point the author is trying to make about the pervasiveness of these (micro)aggressions, but I'm unsure the novel is an appropriate medium for it. It doesn't help that the other 'characters' in the book - neither her family, or the antagonists so to speak (racist neighbours, cops, relatives) - don't get filled in any way outside the narrow sight and voice of the author. I wish there was a better vessel for Laskar's words - because many of them are starkly beautiful - but this isn't it. Disappointed.
I really wanted to like this book more than I did. Laskar's poetry is a clear and shining influence here, and the imagery of the book worked well for me, conveying a sense of the fragmented life she remembers - deliberately or otherwise. The experimental vignette-based form of the novel itself worked well in parts - however, for too much of the book, it felt like the narrative was constrained by the form, rather than liberated by it. The chapters didn't really have a rhythm between them, and the character sketches aren't compelling. The narrator, the Mother, has clearly faced much prejudice and bigotry, and it's a constantly unnerving presence throughout the book, but it also gets grating beyond a point, reeled off one after the other without any real perspective brought to the reader by the repetitive incidents of racism and sexism. I understand the point the author is trying to make about the pervasiveness of these (micro)aggressions, but I'm unsure the novel is an appropriate medium for it. It doesn't help that the other 'characters' in the book - neither her family, or the antagonists so to speak (racist neighbours, cops, relatives) - don't get filled in any way outside the narrow sight and voice of the author. I wish there was a better vessel for Laskar's words - because many of them are starkly beautiful - but this isn't it. Disappointed.
olivetoread's review against another edition
2.0
I was obviously horrified by the racism Mother faced, but I somehow never connected totally with her character. Might have been a better read than listen ...
jesikasbookshelf's review against another edition
3.0
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book! The narrative is a miraculous play with the way in which memory works and how a story should be structured. I understand that some readers may find this jarring, but personally I loved it. The author writes beautifully - her prior work as a poet is clear throughout - and she gives the reader everything they need to understand the story and think upon its message themselves, rather than over explaining everything for no apparent reason.
I particularly enjoyed the way in which Laskar makes her point clear - it is not huge declarations of racism and sexism that actually grind down women of colour, though granted those aren't something anyone needs in their life. Instead, it is the continued build up of every, single, small but discriminatory interaction which eventually pushes a person too far. It is the day to day comments, interactions and pointed behaviour that eventually add up to a life filled navigating a sea of overt and institutionalised cruelty which can break a person.
This novel explores such a life, lived in experiences such as these, for the unnamed Indian American mother of 3. It does so beautifully and with a great sense of a sorrowful heart at the state of the world.
For me, it bothered me that the Mother doesn't ensure that the white Father of her children fully understands the racism that both she and her daughters experience. He is an absentee father and husband, but I felt quite strongly that keeping things from him as they would upset him (and because her daughters want her to) ultimately is part of the problem. It should upset him, but not having the conversation means that you are perpetuating a state of denial, and so I didn't like this particular part of the novel as I felt that, had this conversation eventually have surfaced between the couple, the discussion regarding race in this novel would have ultimately been much more gut wrenching on an inter-personal level.
Overall, though, I enjoyed this, and it is well worth the read!
I particularly enjoyed the way in which Laskar makes her point clear - it is not huge declarations of racism and sexism that actually grind down women of colour, though granted those aren't something anyone needs in their life. Instead, it is the continued build up of every, single, small but discriminatory interaction which eventually pushes a person too far. It is the day to day comments, interactions and pointed behaviour that eventually add up to a life filled navigating a sea of overt and institutionalised cruelty which can break a person.
This novel explores such a life, lived in experiences such as these, for the unnamed Indian American mother of 3. It does so beautifully and with a great sense of a sorrowful heart at the state of the world.
For me, it bothered me that the Mother doesn't ensure that the white Father of her children fully understands the racism that both she and her daughters experience. He is an absentee father and husband, but I felt quite strongly that keeping things from him as they would upset him (and because her daughters want her to) ultimately is part of the problem. It should upset him, but not having the conversation means that you are perpetuating a state of denial, and so I didn't like this particular part of the novel as I felt that, had this conversation eventually have surfaced between the couple, the discussion regarding race in this novel would have ultimately been much more gut wrenching on an inter-personal level.
Overall, though, I enjoyed this, and it is well worth the read!
leeahsmestad's review against another edition
5.0
A 3 hour read that’ll leave you heartbroken and destroyed ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
agarje1's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 Stars
This was a powerful novel that really made good use of the vignette style. The examinations of race in the South was so well done and poignant. The experimental style was, for the most part, fascinating and allowed the author to take many liberties in timeline and language that enhanced the novel a lot, but I feel it left a lot of things unclear. That may have been the point, but I would have preferred more clarity.
This was a powerful novel that really made good use of the vignette style. The examinations of race in the South was so well done and poignant. The experimental style was, for the most part, fascinating and allowed the author to take many liberties in timeline and language that enhanced the novel a lot, but I feel it left a lot of things unclear. That may have been the point, but I would have preferred more clarity.