A review by oversherin
Deacon King Kong by James McBride

adventurous emotional funny mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I really loved the world of this book. From the first chapter, I was charmed by the characters. I did sometimes get a little confused about who was who, but I embraced that as a reader and it all sort of fell in place by the end. There is a balance in the book of how to portray the "Cause Homes" which objectively are filled with challenging poverty and violence but also complex and loveable characters. I think the book leans into portraying them as zany, loveable oddballs, but there is still a very real undercurrent of the mental illness, generational trauma, and poverty these characters face. Ultimately, I found the characters complex and beautiful. The book has a strong narrative plot, but it's also a series of strung together vignettes of different characters and how they mix in this neighborhood. Overall, I found it a little confusing in some spots but really really loved this book.