A review by dreamlessnightx
The Reformatory by Tananarive Due

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This book took my soul and ripped it to shreds, and I mean that in the best of ways. Reading The Reformatory was a challenge of the mind and heart, haunting me to the core with its fictitious but oh so real horrors. Even though Tananarive Due added supernatural elements to this story, it hurt to the core to be reminded that places like Gracetown and The Reformatory are based on a reality that people have lived and still living. The injustices done to people of color are not just stories, but memories lived and experienced. The book was a perfect example of weaving a tale and respecting the fact that said tale pulls from our real world. Robert Stephens and his family and friends endured such hate and vitriol, and it was quite hard to continue in the book sometimes because of the suffering they went through. But it was not in vane. This book was so beautifully written, and you can tell Due cared so much to tell this story. The journey was arduous, and heartbreaking, but it was so worth it to read this novel. It is unlike any book I've read in recent times, and it will stick with me forever. This book is probably the heaviest fiction book I've ever read, so proceed with caution as this book is not overly graphic in it's details but no less devastating. 
 
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