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A review by maxwelldunn
How to Escape from a Leper Colony: A Novella and Stories by Tiphanie Yanique
3.0
3.5 stars
This collection of short stories and two novellas revolves around characters in the U.S. Virgin Islands. What I enjoyed about these tales were how they were modern day stories that read like folklore. She is attentive to sights, sounds, and tastes of the islands as well. They were very rich, and the characters were complex.
The title story was a great way to start the collection. But my favorite story was "The Saving Work." It had a great contrast between mothers and their children, jumping between the U.S. and the Virgin Islands. There were interesting gender dynamic as well as age differences.
Many of these stories deal with love and romantic relationships. The final novella "Kill the Rabbits" did a great job of intertwining narratives and dealing with racial tensions. It really leaves an ambiguous feeling of how to solve issues between races. However, I felt like the whole islanders trope was a bit over the top and read more like a caricature than a genuine commentary.
Overall, nothing completely blew me away about these stories. I'm happy I read them, but only 1 or 2 really stick out to me. The rest are not totally memorable.
This collection of short stories and two novellas revolves around characters in the U.S. Virgin Islands. What I enjoyed about these tales were how they were modern day stories that read like folklore. She is attentive to sights, sounds, and tastes of the islands as well. They were very rich, and the characters were complex.
The title story was a great way to start the collection. But my favorite story was "The Saving Work." It had a great contrast between mothers and their children, jumping between the U.S. and the Virgin Islands. There were interesting gender dynamic as well as age differences.
Many of these stories deal with love and romantic relationships. The final novella "Kill the Rabbits" did a great job of intertwining narratives and dealing with racial tensions. It really leaves an ambiguous feeling of how to solve issues between races. However, I felt like the whole islanders trope was a bit over the top and read more like a caricature than a genuine commentary.
Overall, nothing completely blew me away about these stories. I'm happy I read them, but only 1 or 2 really stick out to me. The rest are not totally memorable.