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4.36 AVERAGE

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
challenging dark reflective sad slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Enjoyment 2/10
Concept 6/10
Execution 4/10
Writing 3/10
Plot & Logic 4/10
Pacing & Structure 4/10
Atmosphere 7/10
Characters 6/10

Rating: 2.24/5
dark emotional funny reflective fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes

i think i understand the hype...

this book seeped through me like water to soil; uncertainty, fear, & yearning are feelings i'm grappling with often & they're so well articulated here. i've never seen confusion articulated with such precision. i think it'll take me awhile to really understand how this book made me feel.
challenging emotional sad slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I really loved David's emotional complexity as a character 
emotional reflective
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Because much has already been written about this seminal book, I don't think most of what I can say about it would be additive. Other than definitely recommending it, my thoughts are:

(1) It's really impressive what Baldwin pulls off in just 169 pages. The fact that characters feel fully fleshed out in such a tight span is certainly a tribute to his talent. Baldwin's writing is introspective and pensive, yet propulsive and arresting at the same time.
(2) The ways in which the novel's women are portrayed and addressed by the male characters is perhaps the most immediate tell that this story was written in a different time. All the same, the mens' misogyny isn't altogether different from how some gay men still view women today.
dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes