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A review by makealongstorycourt
Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
challenging
dark
reflective
4.5
I liked this WAY more than Chain Gang All-Stars.
TBH, I think Adjei-Brenyah’s debut novel read like a drawn out short story and that’s what I didn’t like about it. Now, reading his short stories (that I had on my shelf for too damn long), I’m in love.
As with all story collections, some were better than others.
But with this one in particular, there was a cohesiveness to the scope that I adored. The overarching themes of late-stage capitalism, consumerism, and systemic tyranny were so gloriously explored in all of the stories. What impressed me most, though, is how much of a talent Adjei-Brenyah has for concise world-building. To be able to create such visceral apocalyptic worlds in a few short pages (5-10!!??) is something that my mind will never grasp and I will always be inspired by.
TBH, I think Adjei-Brenyah’s debut novel read like a drawn out short story and that’s what I didn’t like about it. Now, reading his short stories (that I had on my shelf for too damn long), I’m in love.
As with all story collections, some were better than others.
But with this one in particular, there was a cohesiveness to the scope that I adored. The overarching themes of late-stage capitalism, consumerism, and systemic tyranny were so gloriously explored in all of the stories. What impressed me most, though, is how much of a talent Adjei-Brenyah has for concise world-building. To be able to create such visceral apocalyptic worlds in a few short pages (5-10!!??) is something that my mind will never grasp and I will always be inspired by.