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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
TW: (SPOILERS)
Racism, colorism, colonisation, slavery, intergenerational trauma, residential schools, sexual assault, rape, suicide, miscarriage, blood
Absolutly stunning. Not subtle in its parallels, and honestly I'm glad. It's well thought out and grapples with it's flawed but intriguing characters well in a society set up around racism & classism.
Racism, colorism, colonisation, slavery, intergenerational trauma, residential schools, sexual assault, rape, suicide, miscarriage, blood
Absolutly stunning. Not subtle in its parallels, and honestly I'm glad. It's well thought out and grapples with it's flawed but intriguing characters well in a society set up around racism & classism.
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
slow-paced
Strong character development:
No
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
i really liked this book, despite the ugly cover lol and the misleading reviews i saw.
the author created two paralleling universes, and filled them with detailed characters. i loved her depictions of the gutter versus the mainland, and i thought that they were a great metaphor for the state of our world (in terms of race & class)!
overall a good read, however took me a bit to get into.
the author created two paralleling universes, and filled them with detailed characters. i loved her depictions of the gutter versus the mainland, and i thought that they were a great metaphor for the state of our world (in terms of race & class)!
overall a good read, however took me a bit to get into.
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was a good book for a debut novel, but it had a few issues that made me not able to love it, which is too bad as I so wanted to love it!
The book is about a world that is divided into two peoples; the mainlanders and the gutter people. We follow our main character and her coming of age story and the hardships and realizations you make as you grow up and learn about the world around you.
The setting mimics the history of Canada and Australia, which I thought was a really cool plot for a book. It supposed to be dystopian, but it mimics almost exactly what happened to the Indigenous people of those countries. The invasion, colonization, systemic and institutionalized racism, slavery, kidnapping, poverty, sex trafficking, and systems of oppression.
it's a fast paced book and it does get you to think about the world around you. The plot mostly kept me engaged, but about half way through I did find the book lost a lot of steam because the concepts and themes were almost too dumbed down for me.
the book felt young, like it's supposed to be geared towards YA, which is I think why it felt slow in the middle. The plot was alright, but the characters and their interactions/conversations and the writing itself felt like it was geared towards a younger audience. And the characters themselves are young so I had a hard time connecting with them.
I feel I already know and read a lot about this topic, so the way it's presented in this book, it really didn't add anything for me, despite how promising it felt.
That being said I think this would make a great YA novel for high school students and realizing that what happened to the Indigenous people can sound like a dystopian novel. It's a great intro into the history of the indigenous people as you can make so many comparatives while still keeping them engaged.
The book is about a world that is divided into two peoples; the mainlanders and the gutter people. We follow our main character and her coming of age story and the hardships and realizations you make as you grow up and learn about the world around you.
The setting mimics the history of Canada and Australia, which I thought was a really cool plot for a book. It supposed to be dystopian, but it mimics almost exactly what happened to the Indigenous people of those countries. The invasion, colonization, systemic and institutionalized racism, slavery, kidnapping, poverty, sex trafficking, and systems of oppression.
it's a fast paced book and it does get you to think about the world around you. The plot mostly kept me engaged, but about half way through I did find the book lost a lot of steam because the concepts and themes were almost too dumbed down for me.
the book felt young, like it's supposed to be geared towards YA, which is I think why it felt slow in the middle. The plot was alright, but the characters and their interactions/conversations and the writing itself felt like it was geared towards a younger audience. And the characters themselves are young so I had a hard time connecting with them.
I feel I already know and read a lot about this topic, so the way it's presented in this book, it really didn't add anything for me, despite how promising it felt.
That being said I think this would make a great YA novel for high school students and realizing that what happened to the Indigenous people can sound like a dystopian novel. It's a great intro into the history of the indigenous people as you can make so many comparatives while still keeping them engaged.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Colonisation
Moderate: Slavery
Minor: Rape, Suicide, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Classism
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
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:
Complicated
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Alyssa lent me this and uses it with her high school students to teach oppression. Felt trauma porny. Liked the inclusion of the river people. Interesting how the author tried to blend racism with Indigenous land rights. I wish she had included more about the Sossi stories and culture. Kinda don't get why people wanted to leave the Gutter, more health care maybe but it's discrimination and still work. The ending is quite unresolved (court case, David at the Hill) so maybe there's a second book coming. Would not read.
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Another reviewer mentioned that they thought this might have made a better YA book than general fiction, and I'm inclined to agree. While the plot was great and well-developed, sometimes the characters were young to a point that it was frustrating (but in their defence, they're teenagers). It would also be a great YA book in schools - a great jumping off point for studying institutionalized racism, colonization, slavery and systems of oppression. Richardson tells her story effectively through allegory, and breaks your heart while doing it.
This was a strong read for sure, although I did struggle with the characters and how jumpy the plot felt at times. I definitely look forward to reading more from Richardson.
This was a strong read for sure, although I did struggle with the characters and how jumpy the plot felt at times. I definitely look forward to reading more from Richardson.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Slavery, Violence
Moderate: Pregnancy