A review by mayaya
Grievers by adrienne maree brown

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I didn't think this was going to be my cup of tea and gave it a try anyway--turns out, not my cup of tea! I think this is amb's first published work of fiction and it shows--way more "telling" than "showing," though there is the occasional absolutely beautiful turn of phrase. While the concept and metaphor is interesting, it also feels pretty on the nose--if you're writing about a pandemic in the middle of a literal pandemic, I think you really need to be bringing something different and this didn't quite land for me. I also think amb wrote herself into a corner by picking an independent and antisocial protagonist--the vast majority of the book was spent in Dune's head, which made any action or forward movement that much more difficult.
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