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A review by flyingfox02
Crooked Plow by Itamar Vieira Junior
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.75
I don't know what was missing from this book. At one point I had this feeling where I was like, wow I really care about these characters, the community, this place. And from there I had this expectation that we would reach a huge climax, emotionally and plot-wise. But it felt a bit stagnant, especially in Part 3, and I became a bit disinterested. The ending also left me feeling unfulfilled.
Aside from that, I think the writing was fantastic. There was nothing dramatic, no overly lyrical prose, in fact it was very simple but there was a lot of depth to it. Also, this book is divided into three parts, which are all written in first-person but by a different narrator each time. As a general rule, I dislike first-person narration in contemporary fiction BUT I thought it was impressively well done here. The switch in POVs didn't feel awkward either. And I loved the magical elements in the story, as well as the history of Black farmers in Brazil.
Aside from that, I think the writing was fantastic. There was nothing dramatic, no overly lyrical prose, in fact it was very simple but there was a lot of depth to it. Also, this book is divided into three parts, which are all written in first-person but by a different narrator each time. As a general rule, I dislike first-person narration in contemporary fiction BUT I thought it was impressively well done here. The switch in POVs didn't feel awkward either. And I loved the magical elements in the story, as well as the history of Black farmers in Brazil.