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A review by nmirra
Jonathan Abernathy You Are Kind by Molly McGhee
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
3.5
This novel is a dark, fantastical metaphor about how so many jobs in capitalism sell a promise of financial security but actually exploit the worker until the worker is worse off than had they never taken the job in the first place. In rendering that, the book is very successful. Its final quarter is also very moving, sad, and tense, delivering on foreshadowing the book has been teasing throughout.
Unfortunately the middle half of the book is muddled and hard to parse. Jonathan Abernathy is a strange, difficult character to read for much of the story. He is established as almost a joke of a man, and because the terms of his job are unfamiliar to both him and the reader, it's hard to know what the rules or the stakes are for the first half of the book.
The final quarter of the book mostly redeems the confusion you have to put up with to get there, and the book might be more rewarding and coherent on a second read.
Unfortunately the middle half of the book is muddled and hard to parse. Jonathan Abernathy is a strange, difficult character to read for much of the story. He is established as almost a joke of a man, and because the terms of his job are unfamiliar to both him and the reader, it's hard to know what the rules or the stakes are for the first half of the book.
The final quarter of the book mostly redeems the confusion you have to put up with to get there, and the book might be more rewarding and coherent on a second read.