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4.39 AVERAGE
4.39 AVERAGE
Read it one day. Had to finish. I feel like I’m walking away a different person after this book. Unforgettable.
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Sometimes I have this absurd goal to read something and not cry, which is funny because I picked up this book with that goal in mind. Overall, I failed, but that's fine. The writing was lyrical, the story was heartbreaking, and it begs to ask the question, what does it mean to be a man. Spanning four generations, this book makes you grow alongside the characters. The last little bit was a punch to the gut. It's easy to hate the person who hurt you, however it's so much harder to hate them when you know the whole story. This is for the people who never got letters, who never got an apology, and who never understood why. AH this book was so good, I'll have to cry about it again.
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Difficult to listen to in some parts. If this doesn’t touch your soul, maybe it’s because you don’t understand or can’t relate, but…try to. This was beautiful and heartbreaking. I wonder if parts of it are shaped by the author’s own relationship with his father?
I didn’t even make it through the authors note without tears. I loved every page of this book. The letters from a father to son, were beautifully written and I can only imagine the emotion that went into the writing.
The only reason this was 4 stars and not 5 was because so soooo badly wanted more about the sons perspective.
The only reason this was 4 stars and not 5 was because so soooo badly wanted more about the sons perspective.
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Death of parent
Moderate: Alcoholism, Abortion
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
2.0 - This was a hard read and I wasn't able to like it. I expected a dying man trying to make amends and be better, kind of like the protagonists of Razorblade Tears; what I got was an abusive, unsympathetic man, who hated his son and excused his behaviour with his own trauma.
From the beginning of the book, after that freaking scene with that boy, I became unable to feel anything but anger, which only worsened as the story went on. He was a bad husband and even worse father and I don't give a damn about how he was raised to think like that. A lot of abused people chose to be better, chose not to perpetuate the cycle, but him, even while he wrote his apologies, never really took responsibility for his behaviour towards Isaac, instead blaming his past and never genuinely accepting and loving his boy.
In the end he was too much of a coward to reach out and risk rejection and too much of a bigot to genuinely accept him (no, "try" is not damn enough). Honestly, the level of selfishness of this man was infuriating.
I'm honestly just glad Isaac walked away and (in my head) lead a happy life.
From the beginning of the book, after that freaking scene with that boy, I became unable to feel anything but anger, which only worsened as the story went on. He was a bad husband and even worse father and I don't give a damn about how he was raised to think like that. A lot of abused people chose to be better, chose not to perpetuate the cycle, but him, even while he wrote his apologies, never really took responsibility for his behaviour towards Isaac, instead blaming his past and never genuinely accepting and loving his boy.
In the end he was too much of a coward to reach out and risk rejection and too much of a bigot to genuinely accept him (no, "try" is not damn enough). Honestly, the level of selfishness of this man was infuriating.
I'm honestly just glad Isaac walked away and (in my head) lead a happy life.