thebrandyrivers's reviews
92 reviews

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I really really REALLY wanted to love this book, as it had won Canada Reads last year, and I enjoyed "Love After the End", an anthology Whitehead edited. However, I think the alternating timelines are this book's undoing. I wish I saw more of Jonny trying to scrape together enough money (and energy) to go back to the rez, and why it's so hard for him. Because we're often going back and forth through time, it doesn't feel like going back is a hard or life-defining thing to do.

And at times I was confused about where Tias lived... one moment I think it's the rez, but then he seemingly comes into Winnipeg regularly.

.

However, what Jonny Appleseed does exceedingly well at is making characters unique, loveable, and lived in. We fall in love with Jonny, Tias, Jonny's mother and Kokum, and even Tias' girlfriend, which I think we would usually root against. And it gives the reader an inside look at what it's like to be Indigiqueer.

I think if you're looking for a character study, this is a fantastic book and you're going to love it. If you're looking for something more plot-driven, maybe circle back to this one later.

The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers

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4.5

My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

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3.0

Outlawed by Anna North

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adventurous dark hopeful tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

All Involved by Ryan Gattis

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

I was initially interested in this book because I thought the premise was unique, however I think the structure of All Involved ended up being a detriment to the narrative. Each section is a new day during the LA riots, and the sections have 3-4 different chapters, and each chapter is told from the POV of a character. The POV never changes back to someone we've already 'lived with', so I ended up being confused with who this new POV was in relation to all the other characters.

Also because of this structure, I felt like I didn't spend enough time with some characters, and other times slogged through reading about someone's pointless POV. There are some great characters, like Payasa and Big Fate, and many times I wish I knew what their thoughts and feelings were over some random lil homie, or someone not involved.

Because of this huge issue, I was left feeling like I wanted more.

Content Warnings