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A review by madsmacmath
Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
challenging
dark
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
5.0
Amended review:
This was the book that got me into both short stories as dystopian horror. I’m grateful to Adjei-Brenyah for both of those things.
Increased my rating because I was a little more uncertain the first time around.
—————
I don’t read a lot of short stories, and they’re a unique genre in their own right. It took me a second to get the feel and cadence, and to realize my criticism, that the stories felt like they were ripping off real life, is the whole damn point. These stories feel like looking at an uncanny valley image; they’re just different enough for you to see the story but so hauntingly and eerily familiar. It’s like everyone else has said - dystopian, sci-fi, selective realism. Like a Black Mirror episode on the page.
This was the book that got me into both short stories as dystopian horror. I’m grateful to Adjei-Brenyah for both of those things.
Increased my rating because I was a little more uncertain the first time around.
—————
I don’t read a lot of short stories, and they’re a unique genre in their own right. It took me a second to get the feel and cadence, and to realize my criticism, that the stories felt like they were ripping off real life, is the whole damn point. These stories feel like looking at an uncanny valley image; they’re just different enough for you to see the story but so hauntingly and eerily familiar. It’s like everyone else has said - dystopian, sci-fi, selective realism. Like a Black Mirror episode on the page.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Racism, and Abortion
Moderate: Racial slurs, Violence, and Mass/school shootings