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A review by ashortbooklover
Run, Rebel by Manjeet Mann
4.0
From the first page, Mann’s writing had utterly hooked me into Amber’s story. The verse almost pulses with such emotion and seethes with scarcely contained anger from the first line. The way she explores family, friendships, class and identity was brilliant, particularly the discussion around abuse and the feeling of constantly walking on eggshells. There’s an underlying uneasiness to Amber’s voice that resonated with me, giving me an atmosphere of paranoia whilst I was reading.
The formatting and the way that Mann plays with language & form within her verse was so unique and captivating to see. I flew through the pages in just one sitting, unable to extract myself from Amber’s voice. She was a brilliantly complicated narrator, authentic and flawed but you could understand her motivations even if her actions were completely wrong. There was so much rich character development for several of the characters and I enjoyed being able to see their perspectives through the verse, handily signposted by different styles.
For me, the form Mann chose to tell this story was perfect. It allowed room for the intense emotion and subject matter of the story to shine through precisely selected, often sparse language, reflecting their controlled lives that gradually widen. This is a dark and fierce book, but Mann ultimately allows for there to be hope and dreams to be explored past the final page. Some of the most beautiful moments in the book centre around friendship, love and light amongst the choking, dark atmosphere.
There are no simple answers in this powerful dissection of patriarchy, female empowerment and trauma, but nor should there be. Run, Rebel is a brilliant verse novel that will completely captivate you.
The formatting and the way that Mann plays with language & form within her verse was so unique and captivating to see. I flew through the pages in just one sitting, unable to extract myself from Amber’s voice. She was a brilliantly complicated narrator, authentic and flawed but you could understand her motivations even if her actions were completely wrong. There was so much rich character development for several of the characters and I enjoyed being able to see their perspectives through the verse, handily signposted by different styles.
For me, the form Mann chose to tell this story was perfect. It allowed room for the intense emotion and subject matter of the story to shine through precisely selected, often sparse language, reflecting their controlled lives that gradually widen. This is a dark and fierce book, but Mann ultimately allows for there to be hope and dreams to be explored past the final page. Some of the most beautiful moments in the book centre around friendship, love and light amongst the choking, dark atmosphere.
There are no simple answers in this powerful dissection of patriarchy, female empowerment and trauma, but nor should there be. Run, Rebel is a brilliant verse novel that will completely captivate you.