Scan barcode
A review by lawbooks600
Lawless Spaces by Corey Ann Haydu
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Representation: N/A
Score: Seven points out of ten.
Oh look, the first poetry novel I read in 2024. I wanted to read this, but I missed an opportunity to get it the first time around, but not the second time. Lawless Spaces is timely since it covers a prominent issue, but several aspects worked against its favour. However, it does score some points for originality and engagement. A review said there were trigger warnings before the story begins. Where were they? I couldn't find them.
Lawless Spaces starts with the first two characters I see, Tiffany and Mimi Dovewick, living a typical life in the opening pages, until Tiffany leaves Mimi to experience late adolescence alone. Mimi starts journaling about the events happening in her life, like cyberbullying, while simultaneously looking back at the journals her ancestors wrote. All while the news ubiquitously reports on an assault case rattling Tiffany. Did I mention Lawless Spaces is non-linear?
The narrative's biggest flaws lie in its characters and writing style. Other than stretching words, the poetry is more like what happens when someone randomly presses the Enter key. I appreciate the author for writing so engagingly, but did Lawless Spaces have to clock in at over 500 pages, hampering its pacing? The story jumps around when Mimi reads the diaries of those who came before her, and it would've been intriguing, but the similarly monotonous voices of characters like Betty and Virginia let me down. The men mistreat the women in Lawless Spaces mostly due to their body types, but what if they had dissimilar ones yet still suffer the same fate? That would've made a more enjoyable read. I would've loved Lawless Spaces more if there were more than only white people in there, making room for intersectionality between race, gender and class. However, the conclusion was a high note.
Score: Seven points out of ten.
Oh look, the first poetry novel I read in 2024. I wanted to read this, but I missed an opportunity to get it the first time around, but not the second time. Lawless Spaces is timely since it covers a prominent issue, but several aspects worked against its favour. However, it does score some points for originality and engagement. A review said there were trigger warnings before the story begins. Where were they? I couldn't find them.
Lawless Spaces starts with the first two characters I see, Tiffany and Mimi Dovewick, living a typical life in the opening pages, until Tiffany leaves Mimi to experience late adolescence alone. Mimi starts journaling about the events happening in her life, like cyberbullying, while simultaneously looking back at the journals her ancestors wrote. All while the news ubiquitously reports on an assault case rattling Tiffany. Did I mention Lawless Spaces is non-linear?
The narrative's biggest flaws lie in its characters and writing style. Other than stretching words, the poetry is more like what happens when someone randomly presses the Enter key. I appreciate the author for writing so engagingly, but did Lawless Spaces have to clock in at over 500 pages, hampering its pacing? The story jumps around when Mimi reads the diaries of those who came before her, and it would've been intriguing, but the similarly monotonous voices of characters like Betty and Virginia let me down. The men mistreat the women in Lawless Spaces mostly due to their body types, but what if they had dissimilar ones yet still suffer the same fate? That would've made a more enjoyable read. I would've loved Lawless Spaces more if there were more than only white people in there, making room for intersectionality between race, gender and class. However, the conclusion was a high note.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
Full trigger warnings: Sexist slurs, death of a person in the past, sexual harassment and assault, online harassment