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leweylibrary's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.5
It only gets points for the kind of fun setting and indigenous rep, sorry 🤷‍♀️ otherwise I kinda hated it lol.
I did not enjoy reading it, I had to force myself to finish it for a book club, and I had sooo many issues with it that completely took me out of the story. Like her awful friends wtf??? They were horrible and I really hope they weren't inspired by the author's real friends lol. What kind of friends automatically ask if you've murdered someone or destroyed your own apartment?? I wanted to like the supernatural element, and it was one of the few things keeping me interested, but there could've been so much more done with it. I felt like a lot of the conversations, situations, and relationships just made no sense. I truly don't know how this was long listed for the National Book Prize. Like how.
I did not enjoy reading it, I had to force myself to finish it for a book club, and I had sooo many issues with it that completely took me out of the story. Like her awful friends wtf??? They were horrible and I really hope they weren't inspired by the author's real friends lol. What kind of friends automatically ask if you've murdered someone or destroyed your own apartment?? I wanted to like the supernatural element, and it was one of the few things keeping me interested, but there could've been so much more done with it. I felt like a lot of the conversations, situations, and relationships just made no sense. I truly don't know how this was long listed for the National Book Prize. Like how.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Terminal illness, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment
Moderate: Drug use, Racism, and Colonisation
Minor: Pedophilia, Medical content, and Sexual harassment
vexatiousbird's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I wasn’t sure about this after the first chapter with its extremely detailed gore, but I’m glad I continued. We get the murder plot interwoven with chapters of Rita’s life growing up, her history with photography, ghosts, and death. I loved her heartfelt memories of her grandmother and her Navajo culture. The main plot isn’t particularly unique or gripping, but it all comes together into a great story.
My main complaint was the ending felt kind of rushed and abrupt.
My main complaint was the ending felt kind of rushed and abrupt.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, and Death of parent
Moderate: Drug use and Alcohol
tafeeeeee's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
4.0
It was oddly beautiful despite the subject material. I wish we learned more about what happened to Rita after all she went through. It felt like the story was building up to this moment and then it was over and I didn't feel fulfilled.
I did love the Indigenous representation.
I did love the Indigenous representation.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Blood, and Murder
m3l3fic3nt's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Grief
mynameisrebecca's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Racism, Blood, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Xenophobia
lizzyfc's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Car accident, Death of parent, and Murder
cait808's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
my mom picked this as our first family book club read! twas short and sweet and tasty, with a few things that disappointed me.
Rita is a sendup to haggard, perpetually tired girlies everywhere, and her commitment to doing the right thing is admirable. Every time she propitiated the phantoms in a long-suffering tone, I liked our everywoman heroine more, and the descriptions of her actual family and the family she found outside the reservation warmed my heart. I fw the final line of the book v much and it feels like a love letter to both the kind of child Rita was and the woman Rita has become.
I am tepid about the chapter shift between past and present day. Once it was used to great effect—a question coming up in a present chapter was immediately answered by the following past chapter—but otherwise I kind of felt like it was relying on cliffhangers to get me to keep reading.
Also as an aside, I wish I knew more about cameras—each chapter has a subscript of a make/model of a camera of importance to the focal point (hehe) of the chapter. The climactic chapters are simply labelled with an f-stop setting indicating an ever-widening aperture, ending in “wide open.” Neat!
I felt the ending was very rushed. The book needed more chapters to flesh out SEVERAL interesting character skeletons; but unfortunately we are left with:
- Garcia, whois a mustache-twirling villain with barely a motive beyond “greed” and “impatience” driving this maelstrom of events serendipitously happening right as Rita is at her tiredest. (I hate how two of the most plot-impactful moments were just… chance encounters? ie the party, the wake.)
- Armenta, whobarely serves a purpose beyond an exposition dump, when he deserves so much more (his old partner used dirty money to buy a cabin for his wife who has already forgotten who he is, and is living in fear? resignation? of his own death by the hands of the cartel or his partner, who knows which? what a crazy emotional millieu).
- Erma! Would’ve loved moreflashbacks or dream sequences or investigations highlighting Erma’s force of will and relationships to Mathias and her family (cannot forgive that wake scene with Erma seeing her mom and daughter being cut short, acab baby).
- Always need more on Shanice—what did that reunion look like? how have the two found each other again? has Rita come to see Shanice as her own person or is she yet another foil for Gloria? for the mom she never really had?
no notes on Grandma though. now THAT’S what I call a grandma. the idyllic yet grounded description ofa day with grandma picking, drying, and brewing tea? one of my fav chapters fr. 🤌🏼🤌🏼 (just a day after, I watched the MV for the sigur ros song HOPPÍPOLA and had a nice good cry)
Solid book overall, would def read from this author again, especially bc of how she writes both old people and body parts strewn across an Albuquerque highway with such care.
Rita is a sendup to haggard, perpetually tired girlies everywhere, and her commitment to doing the right thing is admirable. Every time she propitiated the phantoms in a long-suffering tone, I liked our everywoman heroine more, and the descriptions of her actual family and the family she found outside the reservation warmed my heart. I fw the final line of the book v much and it feels like a love letter to both the kind of child Rita was and the woman Rita has become.
I am tepid about the chapter shift between past and present day. Once it was used to great effect—a question coming up in a present chapter was immediately answered by the following past chapter—but otherwise I kind of felt like it was relying on cliffhangers to get me to keep reading.
Also as an aside, I wish I knew more about cameras—each chapter has a subscript of a make/model of a camera of importance to the focal point (hehe) of the chapter. The climactic chapters are simply labelled with an f-stop setting indicating an ever-widening aperture, ending in “wide open.” Neat!
I felt the ending was very rushed. The book needed more chapters to flesh out SEVERAL interesting character skeletons; but unfortunately we are left with:
- Garcia, who
- Armenta, who
- Erma! Would’ve loved more
- Always need more on Shanice—
no notes on Grandma though. now THAT’S what I call a grandma. the idyllic yet grounded description of
Solid book overall, would def read from this author again, especially bc of how she writes both old people and body parts strewn across an Albuquerque highway with such care.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Gore
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment
cmmcgrath86's review against another edition
Too vivid of descriptions for right now.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, and Car accident
eicart_reads's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Racism, Grief, Car accident, and Colonisation
Minor: Animal death, Bullying, Drug use, Terminal illness, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
bluegrassreader's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Picked this up on a whim and it became one of my favorite books ever. As a photographer I love how much that was an aspect of the story and of the central character. I really enjoyed Emerson’s writing style, and found that the book had some very poignant things to say about life, loss, grief and death.
I found the relationship between Rita and her Grandmother to be very touching and relatable. I also enjoyed the way the book explored Native American culture and some of the good and bad things about life on a reservation in today’s time. A very good book. Excited to see the author’s future work.
I found the relationship between Rita and her Grandmother to be very touching and relatable. I also enjoyed the way the book explored Native American culture and some of the good and bad things about life on a reservation in today’s time. A very good book. Excited to see the author’s future work.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Car accident, and Murder