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A review by francica
The Bread the Devil Knead by Lisa Allen-Agostini
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book was hands down one of my favorite Trinidadian books of all time. Was the subject matter difficult to read at times? YES. But this was so well written in perfect Trinidadian prose that the words just leapt off the page for me.
Domestic violence is one of the number one causes of violent deaths in Trinidad and Tobago. Many women in this country and worldwide suffer in silence. Alethea and Leo's relationship captivated me in so many ways. I know a lot of girls like Allie, whose childhood trauma affected their entire lives so much that they feel undeserving of love, and underserving of friendship. I felt compassion also for Leo, because his hurt came from I think not feeling in control of his life and by having control over Allie, I think was his own coping mechanism.
This book spoke also to the power of friendship. I loved Tamika's character and the timing of her entry into Allie's life as a friend. Sometimes in these situations as women we feel that we do not need to have friends but boy do we need genuine people in our lives to help us through difficult times.
What was also gripping for me was how the writer chronicled the events from the past. It really had me the reader trying to read fast to find out the cause of Allie's trauma and why she was searching for love in all the wrong places. Case in point Mr. Sharma.
Colin, the blast from the past. His entry into the story was EPIC. Clearly you can see that I loved everything about this.
Domestic violence is one of the number one causes of violent deaths in Trinidad and Tobago. Many women in this country and worldwide suffer in silence. Alethea and Leo's relationship captivated me in so many ways. I know a lot of girls like Allie, whose childhood trauma affected their entire lives so much that they feel undeserving of love, and underserving of friendship. I felt compassion also for Leo, because his hurt came from I think not feeling in control of his life and by having control over Allie, I think was his own coping mechanism.
This book spoke also to the power of friendship. I loved Tamika's character and the timing of her entry into Allie's life as a friend. Sometimes in these situations as women we feel that we do not need to have friends but boy do we need genuine people in our lives to help us through difficult times.
What was also gripping for me was how the writer chronicled the events from the past. It really had me the reader trying to read fast to find out the cause of Allie's trauma and why she was searching for love in all the wrong places. Case in point Mr. Sharma.
Colin, the blast from the past. His entry into the story was EPIC. Clearly you can see that I loved everything about this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, and Domestic abuse