A review by lezreadalot
Southland by Nina Revoyr

4.0

Really really amazing read. I picked this up again after having forgotten about it for two years, and I am so glad I never marked it as abandoned. It was a mystery, a tragedy, a historical tale, and a couple love stories tied up into a neat, sorrowful, and very well told package. We got a bunch of POVs and each of them felt real and well-crafted and essential to the story that unfolded. I love Jackie, she's the reason I picked this up (Japanese-American lesbian? Hell yeah) but Frank really shone for me, and he was a main character in his own right. Same for Lanier. There's not too much else I can say without giving stuff away, but this was just so good. In addition to all its other merits, it provides a really well-written look at race-relations in the early to mid 20th century, highlighting a community I never knew existed (Crenshaw).

My one, eternal nitpick is POV switching, and by that I mean the type that happens within chapters, sometimes within paragraphs. It's really distracting, really jarring, and I never feel like it's necessary. It didn't happen often enough to detract from the quality of the writing, but when it did happen, it was noticeable.

Otherwise: amazing and evocative. Couldn't put it down. Loved it to bits.

4.5 stars.