A review by pmhandley
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

dark hopeful sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

James McBride can always write a tale. If you've read his other books, you'll recognize his usual habits - lots of absurd nicknames, heavy religious imagery, rather uncomfortable descriptions of the female characters. The plot was interesting even when I wasn't sure what direction things were going, and the characters have quippy enough dialogue that I was able to overlook that some of them weren't utilized nearly enough in the overall arc and fizzle out too early. The metaphor gets too clunky when McBride drops subtlety and veers into "kids and their screens these days" territory. Despite this, I always enjoy the cast of characters McBride creates, which nearly always make his stories worth reading in their own right.
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