A review by buer
Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

dark funny tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

In this series of short stories Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah chooses several hot-button topics and takes them to their most illogical extremes in a way that allows the reader the opportunity to explore these issues in a new light. 

The stories range widely, exploring topics like abortion, white supremacist violence, school shootings, over-consumerism, and more. Adjei-Brenyah is a visceral, visual writer exploring violent themes, so his writing is often stomach-churning. If you can handle a hefty amount of gore, though, these stories are sure to inspire a lot of interesting (maybe even productive) conversations.

The only thing keeping me from a full five star rating is that several of the stories are all center around the same retail environment. If all of those had to be included, I think grouping them together would have been more effective.

I recommend this for people who are politically minded, thoughtful, and a little twisted.

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