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A review by kendallreadsitall
The Reformatory by Tananarive Due
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Robert Stephens Jr. has just been sentenced to 6 months at The Reformatory, which is a segregated reform “school” for boys in Jim Crow Florida. The judge and social worker reassure Robert and his sister, Gloria, that he’s lucky to have gotten such a short sentence, but after entering this, as the synopsis describes “chamber of terrors”, any time sentenced is too long. Robert quickly realizes he’s seeing things that might not actually be physically there, and that turns into an advantage he didn’t know he needed.
This read like an instant classic for me. This was a historical fiction book at its core that included elements of a haunting & survival horror story, which brought so much to the overall plot. Reading about the 1950’s Jim Crow era is a horror in and of itself, but don’t go into this novel expecting a typical horror book. At just under 600 pages, this book is deep and a time consuming read. I ended up switching in between to audio & physical copy, which helped me get through this book much quicker than I would have just reading it. I’m glad I did because the audiobook was produced beautifully.
Could I have done with a shorter book? Yeah. Do I understand the author’s reasoning for making it this long? Also yes. Does it deserve to be on everyone’s shelf? Absolutely. You find out in the afterword that this book is based on a real life Dozier School for Boys in Florida that existed from 1900-2011. Yep, you read that right. TWO THOUSAND AND ELEVEN. It is important, right now especially, to tell these horrifying stories, because as much as we would all like to say that this type of racism and persecution of black people and people of color is over, it clearly isn’t. We have to keep these stories alive and not let history repeat itself.
This read like an instant classic for me. This was a historical fiction book at its core that included elements of a haunting & survival horror story, which brought so much to the overall plot. Reading about the 1950’s Jim Crow era is a horror in and of itself, but don’t go into this novel expecting a typical horror book. At just under 600 pages, this book is deep and a time consuming read. I ended up switching in between to audio & physical copy, which helped me get through this book much quicker than I would have just reading it. I’m glad I did because the audiobook was produced beautifully.
Could I have done with a shorter book? Yeah. Do I understand the author’s reasoning for making it this long? Also yes. Does it deserve to be on everyone’s shelf? Absolutely. You find out in the afterword that this book is based on a real life Dozier School for Boys in Florida that existed from 1900-2011. Yep, you read that right. TWO THOUSAND AND ELEVEN. It is important, right now especially, to tell these horrifying stories, because as much as we would all like to say that this type of racism and persecution of black people and people of color is over, it clearly isn’t. We have to keep these stories alive and not let history repeat itself.