A review by scottyreadsstuff
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

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

4.5

I’m slightly disappointed this wasn’t a 5-star read but I still highly enjoyed The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store. Although the themes of the non-existent American dream and hope were too overt for my liking, I think this novel tells an interesting story about the immigrant experience and small-town secrets.

That said,
the random rant after Chona died about cellphones being oppressive just felt like another old person complaining about technology. It didn’t pack the punch McBride thought it did, it was just not a good take.
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