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A review by jdscott50
A Country You Can Leave by Asale Angel-Ajani
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Yara and her Mom are on their last chance when they pull up to a mobile home park in the middle of nowhere California. Yevegenia has a wild streak, pushing them from town to town since Lara was little. Lara has clung tightly to her mother since she was a child. She starts to break free in this new town, searching for her Black identity in a Country You Can Leave.
Lara and her mother could not be more different. Genie is wild and adventurous, and Lara is more careful and serious. Running from town to town, often from creditors, will do that to a child. The Oasis is a last stop. A place of unraveling where children watch their parents' destruction. It is a short fall since this is already rock bottom. Lara builds a group of friends, and together, they make sense of each other's lives. When Genie's neglect leads to Lara being assaulted their dynamic shifts and a parting of the ways seems inevitable.
This is a glimpse of lives exploding. It's tragic and Lara's perseverance will make her ok. It is a sad and traumatic story, but it's good to see people finding their way out. Told from Lara's perspective with Genie's advice on men and Russian literature analogies peppering the narrative.
Lara and her mother could not be more different. Genie is wild and adventurous, and Lara is more careful and serious. Running from town to town, often from creditors, will do that to a child. The Oasis is a last stop. A place of unraveling where children watch their parents' destruction. It is a short fall since this is already rock bottom. Lara builds a group of friends, and together, they make sense of each other's lives. When Genie's neglect leads to Lara being assaulted their dynamic shifts and a parting of the ways seems inevitable.
This is a glimpse of lives exploding. It's tragic and Lara's perseverance will make her ok. It is a sad and traumatic story, but it's good to see people finding their way out. Told from Lara's perspective with Genie's advice on men and Russian literature analogies peppering the narrative.