A review by bookthia
Scarborough by Catherine Hernandez

emotional fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

A strong 4.5 review for this one.  Told in multiple voices, the story of a community in east Scarborough, where poverty, addiction. racism and homelessness are rife.  In real life too.  These characters felt alive to me, real.  I can easily imagine this being a true story.   There are good people and bad people and sometimes good people who are also bad people -- this book illuminates them all, including how good people are forced into bad choices.  Using children as some voices allowed Hernandez to illustrate the loss of innocence in a powerful way.  The character of Mina was a conduit for illustrating institutional racism so authentically.  Brilliant.  This book was in Canada Reads in 2022 and could easily have been the winner in any other year.  Highly recommend.
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