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A review by bookstolivewith
One Year of Ugly by Caroline Mackenzie
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
One Year of Ugly by Caroline Mackenzie was a struggle for me, and I’m not really sure why. It took me more than two weeks to get through it. I think this one takes some suspension of disbelief to get fully invested in, and you really have to be okay with vulgarity: sex, incest (still not 100% clear about this?), drug references, language, and violence. All that being said, the writing and plot are interesting and engaging, and the book is certainly unpredictable, so if you’re looking to be surprised, this could be your book!
I think what was also holding me back was whether this book was an accurate depiction of Venezuelan immigrants, or any immigrants, to Trinidad, and if so, was it contributing to a negative perception of refugees and “illegal” immigrants, since the Palacios family had come to Trinidad without any “legal” status and had apparently gotten mixed up with some shady characters to do so. Obviously, the plot is meant to draw empathy about their hopelessness and the kind of rock-and-hard-place mentality forced on immigrants and refugees and it certainly does that, but it still seems to suggest that you can’t immigrate without becoming intimately involved with “criminals.”
The other part that frustrated me was our protagonist’s, Yola, infatuation with a man who was helping to keep her family in subordination, and who she often seemed to feel more fear and concern for than for members of her family. I just couldn’t get on board with that. I also think that many of the characters, except for Yola and Aunt Celia, could’ve used more depth but it’s definitely a plot-heavy novel, rather than having a character development focus, so that’s understandable.
I would love to find some Own Voices reviews from people who have experience with immigration and refugees, particularly if they also have intimate knowledge of Venezuela or Trinidad, which I do not. I know that the author is from Trinidad and that she spoke with Venezuelans living in Trinidad to get a feel for the depth and purpose of the story and that certainly comes through, but I’d still love to find some reviews that address that aspect specifically.
I think what was also holding me back was whether this book was an accurate depiction of Venezuelan immigrants, or any immigrants, to Trinidad, and if so, was it contributing to a negative perception of refugees and “illegal” immigrants, since the Palacios family had come to Trinidad without any “legal” status and had apparently gotten mixed up with some shady characters to do so. Obviously, the plot is meant to draw empathy about their hopelessness and the kind of rock-and-hard-place mentality forced on immigrants and refugees and it certainly does that, but it still seems to suggest that you can’t immigrate without becoming intimately involved with “criminals.”
The other part that frustrated me was our protagonist’s, Yola, infatuation with a man who was helping to keep her family in subordination, and who she often seemed to feel more fear and concern for than for members of her family. I just couldn’t get on board with that. I also think that many of the characters, except for Yola and Aunt Celia, could’ve used more depth but it’s definitely a plot-heavy novel, rather than having a character development focus, so that’s understandable.
I would love to find some Own Voices reviews from people who have experience with immigration and refugees, particularly if they also have intimate knowledge of Venezuela or Trinidad, which I do not. I know that the author is from Trinidad and that she spoke with Venezuelans living in Trinidad to get a feel for the depth and purpose of the story and that certainly comes through, but I’d still love to find some reviews that address that aspect specifically.