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A review by maurareads13
Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-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? Yes
4.5
Raw. Shook. Gut-wrenching. Noir redemption. Violent. Rage-filled love. Graphic. The South. Racism. Unlikely camaraderie. Emotional. Man, I could just on and on with short descriptors to try to convey the depth of this novel.
Ike and Buddy Lee’s married gay sons have been brutally gunned down, leaving a precious daughter and their families reeling with raging grief and all-consuming regret. Ike, a Black man living an upstanding life after 15 years in prison, and Buddy Lee, a White man with his own jail-ridden past who’s barely making it by, join forces and draw from their violent pasts to discover who murdered their sons. The character-driven prose is so elegant amidst the violence as you watch the evolution of these two fathers as they set aside their own prejudices for each other and their sons to seek their own kind of justice. An unlikely friendship forms that proves to be the lifeline that keeps them going to the very end.
Let me finish with this- this book won’t be for everyone. Despite the story being relevant to our current times on multiple levels, the graphic violence, language and heaviness of the topics covered will be difficult for some readers. Have you ever seen Sons of Anarchy & read Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (both of which I loved)? Imagine this as an episode of SoA meets GWaDT, of sorts, and you have the gist of the setting and the noir.
Ike and Buddy Lee’s married gay sons have been brutally gunned down, leaving a precious daughter and their families reeling with raging grief and all-consuming regret. Ike, a Black man living an upstanding life after 15 years in prison, and Buddy Lee, a White man with his own jail-ridden past who’s barely making it by, join forces and draw from their violent pasts to discover who murdered their sons. The character-driven prose is so elegant amidst the violence as you watch the evolution of these two fathers as they set aside their own prejudices for each other and their sons to seek their own kind of justice. An unlikely friendship forms that proves to be the lifeline that keeps them going to the very end.
Let me finish with this- this book won’t be for everyone. Despite the story being relevant to our current times on multiple levels, the graphic violence, language and heaviness of the topics covered will be difficult for some readers. Have you ever seen Sons of Anarchy & read Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (both of which I loved)? Imagine this as an episode of SoA meets GWaDT, of sorts, and you have the gist of the setting and the noir.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, and Cursing
Moderate: Racism and Homophobia
Minor: Racial slurs and Transphobia