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A review by thatsssorachael
Jonny Appleseed by Joshua Whitehead
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-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
5.0
Holy shit. This was a visceral reading experience, and a lot of it felt pretty icky. But it was incredible, and I absolutely adored it.
The cast of characters were all incredibly real, I felt like I could call them up and chat with each of them. They felt like real people living a realistic existence. The writing was incredible, I could get lost in his writing all day. It felt like warmth after a cold day. Honestly, Whitehead might be one of the best writers of our time. A lot of books I struggle to visualize or feel the time and place, but Jonny Appleseed was atmospheric and vivid for me.
While nothing is sugercoated in this novel, I consider that a good thing. I don't want a sugarcoated, white washed novel of the two spirit, indigenous experience in Canada, because it's not all happy, healthy all the time. Nothing is. Reading this should be a part of antiracist reading. It's not reading necessarily about indigenous trauma, but about every day life, which I think is incredibly important.
The only negatives are the super graphic sex acts and the pacing was a tad slow, but they honestly didn't bother me that much. I understand why this book has hype and why it won Canada Reads. It was an incredible reading experience and I loved it.
The cast of characters were all incredibly real, I felt like I could call them up and chat with each of them. They felt like real people living a realistic existence. The writing was incredible, I could get lost in his writing all day. It felt like warmth after a cold day. Honestly, Whitehead might be one of the best writers of our time. A lot of books I struggle to visualize or feel the time and place, but Jonny Appleseed was atmospheric and vivid for me.
While nothing is sugercoated in this novel, I consider that a good thing. I don't want a sugarcoated, white washed novel of the two spirit, indigenous experience in Canada, because it's not all happy, healthy all the time. Nothing is. Reading this should be a part of antiracist reading. It's not reading necessarily about indigenous trauma, but about every day life, which I think is incredibly important.
The only negatives are the super graphic sex acts and the pacing was a tad slow, but they honestly didn't bother me that much. I understand why this book has hype and why it won Canada Reads. It was an incredible reading experience and I loved it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism
Moderate: Racism and Child abuse
Minor: Animal death