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A review by bethanyangharads
Tigers, Not Daughters by Samantha Mabry
5.0
Trigger warnings: human and animal death , abuse in a romantic relationship
Synopsis: We follow the perspectives of sisters Jessica, Rosa and Iridian as they live life whilst being haunted by their recently deceased sister, Ana. Oh, and we get the perspective from a nosy neighbour and his friends too. As the girls try to decipher why Ana is haunting them they each navigate their own life obstacles and grief in the 9 days that the majority of this story takes place in.
Wow, I started this book last night without knowing quite what I was getting into. After reading the first page, I was irrevocably hooked. Normally I find it hard to sink in to a novel which has multiple perspectives as I find it hard to care that much about certain characters and only love one. However, I loved each perspective in this story equally - from Jessica's tough time with boyfriend John, Iridian and her sense of belonging within a page, Rosa and her sweet yet strong character, and even the boys next door and their well articulated shame at not doing more to help.
I think my favourite part about this book was how real each of the characters felt. They didn't play the hero just because that would have been the easier path to take, instead they acted how any normal person would probably act in that situation. Then, when they tables were turned and a character did act, that also felt real.
I'm lucky enough that I haven't experienced the death of someone close to me, all my close family and friends are still beautifully alive. So I don't feel like I can say that I related to the feelings of grief that the sisters and their dad experience, but I can say that I do believe that people react to grief in different ways and the way that Mabry writes this in her characters is poetic. Coming away from reading about grief written in this way has given me a new perspective on what it would be like to lose someone precious. Oh, and while I mentioned Dad... he is a grief stricken character who comes across as a "baddie" in the girls eyes, however, I think the reader is encouraged to sympathise with him a little bit. Not excuse him and his actions, but to develop our sympathy and make ourselves (the audience) recognise that although we are entitled to our opinions, it doesn't mean that others aren't.
There are other elements in the book that I really enjoyed as well; the general sisterhood feel, hints of romance, the spiritual side of Rosa, the acknowledgement of how guilt can really plague a person, and that someone actually stood up against an asshole character in a way that wasn't all macho.
I hope that this novel gets traction when it is published in March 2020 as I think it could help many people understand more about grief and emotions, as well as just being an all round hooking read. Now excuse me as I go find Mabry's other books!
Spoiler
mother dies in childbirthSynopsis: We follow the perspectives of sisters Jessica, Rosa and Iridian as they live life whilst being haunted by their recently deceased sister, Ana. Oh, and we get the perspective from a nosy neighbour and his friends too. As the girls try to decipher why Ana is haunting them they each navigate their own life obstacles and grief in the 9 days that the majority of this story takes place in.
Wow, I started this book last night without knowing quite what I was getting into. After reading the first page, I was irrevocably hooked. Normally I find it hard to sink in to a novel which has multiple perspectives as I find it hard to care that much about certain characters and only love one. However, I loved each perspective in this story equally - from Jessica's tough time with boyfriend John, Iridian and her sense of belonging within a page, Rosa and her sweet yet strong character, and even the boys next door and their well articulated shame at not doing more to help.
I think my favourite part about this book was how real each of the characters felt. They didn't play the hero just because that would have been the easier path to take, instead they acted how any normal person would probably act in that situation. Then, when they tables were turned and a character did act, that also felt real.
Spoiler
Like when Jessica lashed out at John when he hit Iridian, hell yes, I would've done the same if anyone laid a finger on my younger sibling!I'm lucky enough that I haven't experienced the death of someone close to me, all my close family and friends are still beautifully alive. So I don't feel like I can say that I related to the feelings of grief that the sisters and their dad experience, but I can say that I do believe that people react to grief in different ways and the way that Mabry writes this in her characters is poetic. Coming away from reading about grief written in this way has given me a new perspective on what it would be like to lose someone precious. Oh, and while I mentioned Dad... he is a grief stricken character who comes across as a "baddie" in the girls eyes, however, I think the reader is encouraged to sympathise with him a little bit. Not excuse him and his actions, but to develop our sympathy and make ourselves (the audience) recognise that although we are entitled to our opinions, it doesn't mean that others aren't.
There are other elements in the book that I really enjoyed as well; the general sisterhood feel, hints of romance, the spiritual side of Rosa, the acknowledgement of how guilt can really plague a person, and that someone actually stood up against an asshole character in a way that wasn't all macho.
I hope that this novel gets traction when it is published in March 2020 as I think it could help many people understand more about grief and emotions, as well as just being an all round hooking read. Now excuse me as I go find Mabry's other books!