mjkienbaum's review
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
leahsbooks's review
3.0
Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
CONTENT WARNING: blood, violence, racial slurs, racism, murder, bombing, suicide attempt, torture
It’s so hard for me to write this review, mainly because I’m still trying to wrap my head around what I’ve just read. This was a really fast read that packed so much story into a relatively short book. In addition, it’s kind of a mash-up of genres, featuring historical fiction and magical realism, with some elements of romance and mystery. But I’m still going to try to process this book through this review.
In the aftermath of a shocking event in 1960s Alabama, Melvin and Bernadette are fugitives and flee to Ghana, seeking refuge. But they quickly realize that they are in for a wild ride that they never expected. Readers get a birds eye view into both 1960s life in America and politically unstable Ghana, as well as the tenuous relationship between Melvin and Bernadette.
I found myself wishing to get to know Melvin and Bernadette better—we are told about significant events in their life and their motivations, but we aren’t really shown enough for my liking. Often, I found myself wanting to know more about them. Instead, it was more of their travels, with lots of flashbacks to significant events that shaped the story. In addition, we hear about the lives of other characters that are central to the story as well. But it never felt quite deep enough for me.
One of the things that I did like best about the story was learning about historical events, which were woven through the narrative. African history and politics, especially colonialism and post-colonial influences, aren’t really taught in American schools, and it’s an area that I actually found fascinating. This information was combined with elements of magical realism, which I’m not normally a fan of, although it was done beautifully in this story. While I’m more used to a linear narrative, that wasn’t present in this story, but I found that I got used to it quickly, and began to appreciate it more and more as I got deeper into the story.
However, for me, the ending fell a bit flat. I felt like very little was wrapped up, and I prefer stories with a more clear ending. Instead of understanding what had happened to any of the major characters, none of their outcomes was clarified, and the ending is left entirely up to the reader, hence my ambivalent rating. There were definitely some things that I enjoyed about this book, and some that I didn’t love, but overall it was an interesting read and I enjoyed it for the most part.
CONTENT WARNING: blood, violence, racial slurs, racism, murder, bombing, suicide attempt, torture
It’s so hard for me to write this review, mainly because I’m still trying to wrap my head around what I’ve just read. This was a really fast read that packed so much story into a relatively short book. In addition, it’s kind of a mash-up of genres, featuring historical fiction and magical realism, with some elements of romance and mystery. But I’m still going to try to process this book through this review.
In the aftermath of a shocking event in 1960s Alabama, Melvin and Bernadette are fugitives and flee to Ghana, seeking refuge. But they quickly realize that they are in for a wild ride that they never expected. Readers get a birds eye view into both 1960s life in America and politically unstable Ghana, as well as the tenuous relationship between Melvin and Bernadette.
I found myself wishing to get to know Melvin and Bernadette better—we are told about significant events in their life and their motivations, but we aren’t really shown enough for my liking. Often, I found myself wanting to know more about them. Instead, it was more of their travels, with lots of flashbacks to significant events that shaped the story. In addition, we hear about the lives of other characters that are central to the story as well. But it never felt quite deep enough for me.
One of the things that I did like best about the story was learning about historical events, which were woven through the narrative. African history and politics, especially colonialism and post-colonial influences, aren’t really taught in American schools, and it’s an area that I actually found fascinating. This information was combined with elements of magical realism, which I’m not normally a fan of, although it was done beautifully in this story. While I’m more used to a linear narrative, that wasn’t present in this story, but I found that I got used to it quickly, and began to appreciate it more and more as I got deeper into the story.
However, for me, the ending fell a bit flat. I felt like very little was wrapped up, and I prefer stories with a more clear ending. Instead of understanding what had happened to any of the major characters, none of their outcomes was clarified, and the ending is left entirely up to the reader, hence my ambivalent rating. There were definitely some things that I enjoyed about this book, and some that I didn’t love, but overall it was an interesting read and I enjoyed it for the most part.
anj_t's review
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-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
3.75
kaitiekait05's review
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
tearaven's review
4.0
Found the book very enjoyable, however, it felt like something was missing to create a sense of urgency so it took me awhile to get through… with the exception of the last 100 pages. The end was a bit more engrossing. But I did enjoy the story and characters overall.
pinkalpaca's review against another edition
4.0
Really excellent storytelling here, almost stream of consciousness with something sparking a memory that leads to a flashback and so on. Dashes of magical realism were unexpected and beautifully done.
porshea's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
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
4.5
marianeedstoread's review
3.0
It’s the 1960’s and Alabama is not the place for a black man to get himself in trouble but that’s exactly what happened to Melvin as he inadvertently drags his fiancée Bernadette into this mess. They pack their passports, pretend to be a pastor and his wife, and flee to Ghana where Melvin is sure his old buddy (now the president of Ghana) will offer them asylum. But things aren’t as easy as Melvin thought. Add in an FBI agent who is hot on their trail, a high profile musician who agrees to help but doesn’t like Melvin much and some other shady characters. Oh, and the president isn’t so easy to get to as the country is in political chaos. The race is on as this thriller comes to its conclusion with a surprise of its own.
I enjoyed a lot of this as I didn’t know much about Ghana and it’s politics in the 1960’s. I really didn’t like Melvin at all and felt bad for Bernadette, but I don’t think the reader is supposed to like him. I liked that the characters were not reliable. I did not care for the slight bit of magical realism thrown in, but that’s just a personal preference. This was a short read at just over 200 pages.
Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for a review e-copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed a lot of this as I didn’t know much about Ghana and it’s politics in the 1960’s. I really didn’t like Melvin at all and felt bad for Bernadette, but I don’t think the reader is supposed to like him. I liked that the characters were not reliable. I did not care for the slight bit of magical realism thrown in, but that’s just a personal preference. This was a short read at just over 200 pages.
Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for a review e-copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
tbaileythomp's review
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0