lavalierre's review against another edition
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Rape, and Animal death
svao78's review against another edition
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.5
I wish I could say that this is an insightful or thought-provoking piece on the Mexican/Latin American immigrant experience in the US. Sadly, this book presents a stereotypical depiction of undocumented migrants and their experiences within American and Mexican-American communities. The only chapters that might have something of value to say are the torturous sections regarding América's violent and demeaning experiences as a housekeeper. Yet even these chapters are littered with exploitative and vivid violence used to shock rather than provide any form of commentary. On a worse note, almost every chapter that focuses on Delayne is a meandering dive into the mind of an emasculated bigot, who believes doesn't have a biased bone in his body. The idea of dissecting the performative nature of immigration politics among the privileged in California is so interesting and could create such amazing conversations. But Delaney's story presents this issue and says nothing and goes nowhere. I don't mind violence when used within the context of a story, or unlikable characters when there are narrative or thematic reasons for their irredeemable nature. Without narrative justification, you're left feeling cheated and uncomfortable.
It is reductive and simplistic in its analysis of the relationship between undocumented migrants and the American middle class to a degree that leaves the reader wishing that they had spent their time reading something else.
It is reductive and simplistic in its analysis of the relationship between undocumented migrants and the American middle class to a degree that leaves the reader wishing that they had spent their time reading something else.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Pregnancy, Racism, Xenophobia, Sexual assault, Hate crime, Misogyny, and Pedophilia
yodamordecai's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Reading this book was painful. Nothung happened until the last 5 pages and then it was so poorly written I couldn’t figure out what was happening. The themes are straight up incoherent and the ending made no sense. I don’t know what the point of this book was.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia and Racism
Minor: Misogyny, Physical abuse, Violence, Hate crime, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
shirecrow's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
slow-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? Yes
2.5
I read this book for school.
The novel is really good in an uncomfortable way. It shows the truth of the American Dream and how horrible it is to be an illegal immigrant. It has characters with a lot of personality.
Sadly, Boyles writting style did not suit me. It is incredibly slow paced and detailed. I found myself bored, flying over the pages just to be done with it. The female character gets brutalized over and over again which left me feeling sick. I wanna make clear that this novel is SLOW and even glunky with word sometimes.
I liked the reales of it. The daring. The horrible truth. That is it. Sorry.
The novel is really good in an uncomfortable way. It shows the truth of the American Dream and how horrible it is to be an illegal immigrant. It has characters with a lot of personality.
Sadly, Boyles writting style did not suit me. It is incredibly slow paced and detailed. I found myself bored, flying over the pages just to be done with it. The female character gets brutalized over and over again which left me feeling sick. I wanna make clear that this novel is SLOW and even glunky with word sometimes.
I liked the reales of it. The daring. The horrible truth. That is it. Sorry.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Racial slurs, Xenophobia, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Car accident, Hate crime, and Racism
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