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A review by travsbookshelf
Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby
5.0
I am devastated beyond words. This book has absolutely shaken me. This was one of the most powerful books I’ve ever read.
And emotionally is just one of the ways.
The writing is so unbelievably incredible, but not so much in style and structure as much as just detailing the rawness of the reality of such a story. Cosby completely immerses us into the reality where being black, gay and even trans is viewed through such a rough thug life culture - especially in a southern, confederacy-minded setting - is (unfortunately) viewed as unforgivable and despicable, and he makes sure to not let you go. The highly emotional and mental conflicts and resolutions of the characters is just too gripping to escape. Ike and Buddy Lee are two of the most fascinating characters I’ve ever read (slightly more partial to Buddy due to his great humor) and I was so engrossed in their incredible character development. The book was an amazing work of blending an extremely exciting fictional crime thriller story with the feeling of an essay regarding the reality of important topics as racial and LGBTQ issues and gaining the understanding of these by the rough and tough characters normally not tolerant in real life.
That said, this book does have some harsh characters. Not that they are all villainous nor heinous, at least. We’re talking some rough around the edges people in this story that know only the thug, criminal ways of life. That goes for our protagonists and a couple other likable side characters as well. Like I said, so much of this story is rooted in reality and some of the most harsh at that. It made for a far more interesting read to see these issues dealt with in these circumstances. As such, it is indeed very uncomfortable to read at times as a lot of characters share their undesirable prejudices and spew a few disgusting words at times so be prepared for that. But it was done in such a way that makes it important to start these kinds of conversations to deal with the issues.
Since this is a crime thriller it had some very brutal violence and yes, a lot of it is pretty graphic, so be warned if you’re a little squeamish. And it has some of the most heartbreakingly tragic moments within. The ending actually brought me to tears, no pun intended.
This should get more than 5 stars, it was just too perfect for me. And I highly recommend this book to the world. Society today should definitely read this.
You can see my video review of this book here:
https://youtu.be/_-LYQIojEMY?si=LaBhM-Ji0ZhYlLIA
And emotionally is just one of the ways.
The writing is so unbelievably incredible, but not so much in style and structure as much as just detailing the rawness of the reality of such a story. Cosby completely immerses us into the reality where being black, gay and even trans is viewed through such a rough thug life culture - especially in a southern, confederacy-minded setting - is (unfortunately) viewed as unforgivable and despicable, and he makes sure to not let you go. The highly emotional and mental conflicts and resolutions of the characters is just too gripping to escape. Ike and Buddy Lee are two of the most fascinating characters I’ve ever read (slightly more partial to Buddy due to his great humor) and I was so engrossed in their incredible character development. The book was an amazing work of blending an extremely exciting fictional crime thriller story with the feeling of an essay regarding the reality of important topics as racial and LGBTQ issues and gaining the understanding of these by the rough and tough characters normally not tolerant in real life.
That said, this book does have some harsh characters. Not that they are all villainous nor heinous, at least. We’re talking some rough around the edges people in this story that know only the thug, criminal ways of life. That goes for our protagonists and a couple other likable side characters as well. Like I said, so much of this story is rooted in reality and some of the most harsh at that. It made for a far more interesting read to see these issues dealt with in these circumstances. As such, it is indeed very uncomfortable to read at times as a lot of characters share their undesirable prejudices and spew a few disgusting words at times so be prepared for that. But it was done in such a way that makes it important to start these kinds of conversations to deal with the issues.
Since this is a crime thriller it had some very brutal violence and yes, a lot of it is pretty graphic, so be warned if you’re a little squeamish. And it has some of the most heartbreakingly tragic moments within. The ending actually brought me to tears, no pun intended.
This should get more than 5 stars, it was just too perfect for me. And I highly recommend this book to the world. Society today should definitely read this.
You can see my video review of this book here:
https://youtu.be/_-LYQIojEMY?si=LaBhM-Ji0ZhYlLIA