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a_bookish_butterfly 's review for:
Yonder
by Jabari Asim
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
I love books that make you feel their words in your core as your heart plummets into your stomach. I love books that manage to make the ugliest things lyrically compelling, searching out the strength and beauty of their unsightly truths.
Yonder was all of this.
It certainly isn’t a new tale. We are familiar with the crooked history of America, of the cruel reality of slavery. Our textbooks never covered the depravity of slave owners as they should have, but there is plenty of modern literature that helps fill in the gaps.
Yonder tells the story of the Stolen, those Black men and women forced into arduous labor by their white captors, also known as Thieves. We see it all through the perspectives of the Stolen, who long for freedom but fear the route.
It’s clear that meticulous development was put into these characters. Asim ensured that they felt real to his readers. It was easy to get lost in their thoughts and have their emotions penetrate my own heart. The rich writing and short chapters helped the slow build remain immersive, but the conclusion felt rather rushed to me. I truly think Yonder could have been longer. After putting so much care into his characters, I wish the ending had felt as fleshed out.
Regardless, this was an unforgettable story. Asim’s prose will stir your soul. It’s both poetry and a powerful narrative.
Yonder was all of this.
It certainly isn’t a new tale. We are familiar with the crooked history of America, of the cruel reality of slavery. Our textbooks never covered the depravity of slave owners as they should have, but there is plenty of modern literature that helps fill in the gaps.
Yonder tells the story of the Stolen, those Black men and women forced into arduous labor by their white captors, also known as Thieves. We see it all through the perspectives of the Stolen, who long for freedom but fear the route.
It’s clear that meticulous development was put into these characters. Asim ensured that they felt real to his readers. It was easy to get lost in their thoughts and have their emotions penetrate my own heart. The rich writing and short chapters helped the slow build remain immersive, but the conclusion felt rather rushed to me. I truly think Yonder could have been longer. After putting so much care into his characters, I wish the ending had felt as fleshed out.
Regardless, this was an unforgettable story. Asim’s prose will stir your soul. It’s both poetry and a powerful narrative.