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3.45 AVERAGE
3.45 AVERAGE
Beautifully complex characters and relationships with unwritten endings which seems intentional.
Filled my mind with beautiful images from the myths explained and retold through different characters voices.
Filled my mind with beautiful images from the myths explained and retold through different characters voices.
Deeply interwoven with Cherokee storytelling, this novel tells the tale of a family who lost their son many years ago to police violence. It recounts their grief, anger, and helplessness, with moments of hope and relief. But it’s not only about one family‘s present-day trauma, it’s also about the ancestral trauma of the Trail of Tears that has been carried over generations. I will definitely be haunted for awhile.
I enjoyed the book, I’m just not entirely sure that the multiple narrators telling their story that has a shared through line is my favorite style
I enjoyed the cultural and historical importance of this book, one that centers the Native American history and experience. The characters felt underdeveloped though and I was left wanting more. The Native mythology weaved throughout was it's strongest point.
I mainly listened to the book on audiobook versus having the physical book so I am not sure if I just missed out on clues to huge developments or if the intent was to find out at the end. I did not see Sonja’s connection until she confront him. I felt the stories were coming to a climatic point and then the book ended. I appreciated learning more about Native American Indians, their culture, ancestry, love for nature, and struggle due to the removal of their people and land.
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Very interesting mythology and imagery through out the story. It consistently lost me in the disjointed story and robotic feeling of the narrative. And none of the characters were even remotely lovable so that didn’t do the book any favors either.
A lot of fascinating ideas are raised in this book: the disproportionate impact of policy brutality on marginalized groups; cultural identity; grief & addiction. Unfortunately, none of these themes are investigated in a meaningful way. The prose is repetitive to the point of irritation (was there some sort of pecuniary benefit based on the number of times the word "fowl" was used?), and the majority of the book reads like chapters taken from a teenager's diary - short, declarative sentences filled with self-delusion.
If this book were a Jeopardy category it would be "Heavy-Handed Avian Symbolism."
If this book were a Jeopardy category it would be "Heavy-Handed Avian Symbolism."
Native-American writer Brandon Hobson brings to life a family, a family who are descendants of those who survived the Trail of Tears, a family reeling from the death of Rea-Rea some fifteen years after this son and brother was shot by a policeman. The family members are each haunted by grief as well as the continuing and mysterious influence Rea-Rea has on their lives
"Oh, hello there gentle viewers! You caught me catching up on an old favorite. It's wonderful to get lost in a story, isn't it? Adventure and heroics and discovery. Don't they just take you away? Hmm... Come with me now, if you will, gentle viewers. Join me on a new voyage of the mind. A little tale I like to call... Buffy: Slayer of the Vampyrs."
Sorry, there I go again. Guess I have Buffy on the brain. Must be all this recent surfacing of toxic behavior behind the scenes. Excuse me while I go listen to Heroes by Jill Sobule.
Thanks for that. Now I can move on with the actual review.
This was my January 2021 Book of the Month (BotM) selection, my third since subscribing.
I actually liked this one. Which is a relief since my first two books were such stinkers. I was starting to worry about what I had gotten myself into.
I found the structure a bit formulaic, in rotating through the POVs of different family members, punctuated by a fourth POV that provides a cultural and historical context, including generational trauma. This didn't deter my enjoyment, just something I was aware of while reading, as other stories I've read and liked have used a similar form. Also, because the variables plugged into the formula were different from anything else I've read before it worked for me (Native family, Trail of Tears).
The story did sneak in and catch me in the feels a couple times which I wasn't expecting. There was also a direction in one character's story, as well as a near the end reveal, both of which caught me off guard. I've consumed a lot of media and am pretty trope savvy so I find things more impressive when they successfully subvert my expectations, as this did.
Oh, and a warning I wish I'd had before starting: there is a child named Luka in the story so if like me you are of a certain age, you will get the Suzanne Vega song stuck in your head off and on while reading.
Any other positives? The Darkening Land of microaggressions that culminates into straight up racism.
Negatives? It sometimes felt anachronistic and I'm not sure if that was intentional or not. Everyone is using smart phones, but of the small cast of characters there are at least four primarily using records to listen to music. Early on it felt a little info-dumpy, but that didn't last long and it was info I was receptive to so I didn't mind much.
Would I recommend it? Yeah, it's not a huge commitment and brings a voice I don't often find in literature.
Will I read anything else by the author? Maybe, if it came recommended by someone who's opinion I value.
BotM ongoing impression(s): I'm still wary, but at least this book broke my streak of badly written books with horrible characters and infuriating events.
I will again end with my limited by character BotM review:
"An enjoyable read. I was pleasantly surprised by an unconventional direction and an unexpected reveal. Hell is made of microaggressions."
P.S. I hope you all realize that when I say "limited by character," I mean the number of letters allowed in the review, not that the review is limited by my personality deficits.
Sorry, there I go again. Guess I have Buffy on the brain. Must be all this recent surfacing of toxic behavior behind the scenes. Excuse me while I go listen to Heroes by Jill Sobule.
Thanks for that. Now I can move on with the actual review.
This was my January 2021 Book of the Month (BotM) selection, my third since subscribing.
I actually liked this one. Which is a relief since my first two books were such stinkers. I was starting to worry about what I had gotten myself into.
I found the structure a bit formulaic, in rotating through the POVs of different family members, punctuated by a fourth POV that provides a cultural and historical context, including generational trauma. This didn't deter my enjoyment, just something I was aware of while reading, as other stories I've read and liked have used a similar form. Also, because the variables plugged into the formula were different from anything else I've read before it worked for me (Native family, Trail of Tears).
The story did sneak in and catch me in the feels a couple times which I wasn't expecting. There was also a direction in one character's story, as well as a near the end reveal, both of which caught me off guard. I've consumed a lot of media and am pretty trope savvy so I find things more impressive when they successfully subvert my expectations, as this did.
Oh, and a warning I wish I'd had before starting: there is a child named Luka in the story so if like me you are of a certain age, you will get the Suzanne Vega song stuck in your head off and on while reading.
Any other positives? The Darkening Land of microaggressions that culminates into straight up racism.
Negatives? It sometimes felt anachronistic and I'm not sure if that was intentional or not. Everyone is using smart phones, but of the small cast of characters there are at least four primarily using records to listen to music. Early on it felt a little info-dumpy, but that didn't last long and it was info I was receptive to so I didn't mind much.
Would I recommend it? Yeah, it's not a huge commitment and brings a voice I don't often find in literature.
Will I read anything else by the author? Maybe, if it came recommended by someone who's opinion I value.
BotM ongoing impression(s): I'm still wary, but at least this book broke my streak of badly written books with horrible characters and infuriating events.
I will again end with my limited by character BotM review:
"An enjoyable read. I was pleasantly surprised by an unconventional direction and an unexpected reveal. Hell is made of microaggressions."
P.S. I hope you all realize that when I say "limited by character," I mean the number of letters allowed in the review, not that the review is limited by my personality deficits.