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jamjunrb's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-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
4.75
Itō's ability to vocalize a fractured child's voice is incredible and harrowing as we follow her journey. Moving across the liminal biome of the riverbank (spanning many cultural and geographic/borderlands) is both dream and nightmarish. The poetic ecosystem of death, detritus, and survival becomes entangled in surreal social and natural systems. Itō's linguistic play around the politics of naming, melding languages, and self-expression from the speaker creates a defamiliarization, and unstable language is enamoring. The familial decay and defiance in this collection are overwhelming and inventive excavated manner. This collection spoke to my readerly baggage (being a second-generation Asian American) and made me laugh and cry and wince in wonderfully masochistic, gory ways. It pushed my comfort zone and tolerance for triggers, but I think with some distance when I revisit this it will be 5 stars (for now a little harsh on the heart).
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Violence, and Sexual violence
lleullawgyffes's review
dark
hopeful
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? Yes
4.25
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