Scan barcode
lindanussbaum_pdx's review against another edition
4.0
*4 2/3 STARS*
This one will require a second reading (or listening to), for better understanding, but I thought it was beautifully told. A sad, complex story told from a couple of different perspectives, with ONLY unreliable narrators, but I was drawn to how lyrical and full of feeling the writing was.
This one will require a second reading (or listening to), for better understanding, but I thought it was beautifully told. A sad, complex story told from a couple of different perspectives, with ONLY unreliable narrators, but I was drawn to how lyrical and full of feeling the writing was.
susiesmith96's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
tense
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? It's complicated
4.0
estellecool's review against another edition
3.5
I really like a lot of the structural aspects of this book, the repetition and circular nature of the first half of the novel paired with the contradictions. I also like when it got a bit absurd towards the end. However I think it did struggle to hold my attention and I didn’t feel any satisfaction from the ending. The second part was much weaker then the first.
jslive's review against another edition
4.0
"The furrows: An elegy" by Namwali Serpell is an exploration of grief -- but is a much better read than that sounds like. It weaves through a metaverse of possibilities with great storytelling about a dead sister and her dead little brother.
books_0r_die's review against another edition
3.0
This was extremely well written - but just wasn’t my personal cup of tea. It incorporates two points of view - the first half of the book is told from the point of view of Cee. Her portion of the book was full of imagery, which is not my style. It was full of metaphors and similes galore. I much preferred Wayne’s perspective in the latter portion of the book - as you learn about his story and connection to Cee, before they “accidentally” start lusting for one another.
imanit's review against another edition
3.0
Unsure how to feel about this. Its study of grief and how we handle trauma really resonates with me but I think there are too many ideas and too little resolutions.
w8godot32's review against another edition
5.0
Now a Shadow
Twelve year old Cassandra tries in vain to save her seven year old brother Wayne from drowning. She passed out, did not actually see him die, and the body was never recovered. Still– “I felt him die. He was dead.” The irrefutable truth is this young girl’s burden to bear alone. Her mother will not admit to his death and starts a foundation to assist finding missing children, at one point traumatizing her daughter with “If he’s alive, that means you didn’t kill him!” Cassandra’s father distantly accepts that their bonds are lost and her grandmother pointedly asks her what she did with that boy.
“I don’t want to tell you what happened. I want to tell you how it felt."
What follows are fruitless years of sessions with out-of-touch psychiatrists. There are multiple dreams of her brother dying in different scenarios, each time under Cassandra’s watch. Each elation she feels at seeing him is immediately crushed by realizing his death once more. The intense grief is real and halfway through you wonder if this theme can be sustained much longer, where is the resolution?
Suddenly, midway through the book, the narration flips over from Cassandra to a man she is making love to. This man is convinced her brother is still alive and is shadowing him. He takes Wayne’s name, investigates the family, meets up with Cassandra, and they quickly fall for each other. If it sounds confusing, it is. We are given bits and pieces of this Wayne’s background but things are unclear as to who he really is or represents.
Frankly, Cassandra’s voice is sorely missed when the narrators switch. After sharing so much emotional turmoil I mourned the intimacy that had been nurtured. I wanted to hear Cassandra telling me she was on the way to becoming whole again, but of course the gulf that is Wayne’s absence can never be filled. We do not lose her, we just see her continue the struggle from a different set of eyes.
In "The Furrows" Namwali Serpell has delivered a touching account of a journey into devastating loss, a journey without a comforting resolution. We are not always told what happened, we bear witness to how it felt.
Thank you to Hogarth Books, Random House and NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. #TheFurrows #NetGalley
Twelve year old Cassandra tries in vain to save her seven year old brother Wayne from drowning. She passed out, did not actually see him die, and the body was never recovered. Still– “I felt him die. He was dead.” The irrefutable truth is this young girl’s burden to bear alone. Her mother will not admit to his death and starts a foundation to assist finding missing children, at one point traumatizing her daughter with “If he’s alive, that means you didn’t kill him!” Cassandra’s father distantly accepts that their bonds are lost and her grandmother pointedly asks her what she did with that boy.
“I don’t want to tell you what happened. I want to tell you how it felt."
What follows are fruitless years of sessions with out-of-touch psychiatrists. There are multiple dreams of her brother dying in different scenarios, each time under Cassandra’s watch. Each elation she feels at seeing him is immediately crushed by realizing his death once more. The intense grief is real and halfway through you wonder if this theme can be sustained much longer, where is the resolution?
Suddenly, midway through the book, the narration flips over from Cassandra to a man she is making love to. This man is convinced her brother is still alive and is shadowing him. He takes Wayne’s name, investigates the family, meets up with Cassandra, and they quickly fall for each other. If it sounds confusing, it is. We are given bits and pieces of this Wayne’s background but things are unclear as to who he really is or represents.
Frankly, Cassandra’s voice is sorely missed when the narrators switch. After sharing so much emotional turmoil I mourned the intimacy that had been nurtured. I wanted to hear Cassandra telling me she was on the way to becoming whole again, but of course the gulf that is Wayne’s absence can never be filled. We do not lose her, we just see her continue the struggle from a different set of eyes.
In "The Furrows" Namwali Serpell has delivered a touching account of a journey into devastating loss, a journey without a comforting resolution. We are not always told what happened, we bear witness to how it felt.
Thank you to Hogarth Books, Random House and NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. #TheFurrows #NetGalley
lunaseline's review against another edition
2.0
Den här boken ska ju såklart inte ha en tvåa. Den är experimentell, välskriven, djup. Sorg och identitet och rasism är stora, svåra frågor - sådana författare SKA ägna sig åt.
Men.
Precis som andra recensenter får jag erkänna att jag 1) inte riktigt förstod allt (eller ens om det fanns något att förstå) 2) tyckte delar var rent obehagliga (förlåt: men bror/proxy-bror-figurer och heta sexsscener går bort för mig)
Kanske hade det gått om C hade fått berätta sin historia (eller historier, eller önskemål, eller rena fantasifoster) hela vägen ut. Perspektivbytet är modigt och gör boken mer annorlunda - sånt gillar jag av ren princip - men... jag gillar det helt enkelt inte.
Kulturredaktörer har hyllat den här boken. Men jag brukar rätt ofta misstänka att hyllningar sker för att dölja att man inte riktigt fattar.
Och det är där vi landar; jag tänkte länge att boken var en fyra - men i ärlighetens namn blir det en tvåa.
Men.
Precis som andra recensenter får jag erkänna att jag 1) inte riktigt förstod allt (eller ens om det fanns något att förstå) 2) tyckte delar var rent obehagliga (förlåt: men bror/proxy-bror-figurer och heta sexsscener går bort för mig)
Kanske hade det gått om C hade fått berätta sin historia (eller historier, eller önskemål, eller rena fantasifoster) hela vägen ut. Perspektivbytet är modigt och gör boken mer annorlunda - sånt gillar jag av ren princip - men... jag gillar det helt enkelt inte.
Kulturredaktörer har hyllat den här boken. Men jag brukar rätt ofta misstänka att hyllningar sker för att dölja att man inte riktigt fattar.
Och det är där vi landar; jag tänkte länge att boken var en fyra - men i ärlighetens namn blir det en tvåa.
juliezucchini's review against another edition
4.5
Lots of beautiful language in this book. Every time it felt like something was going over my head, I reminded myself to cling to her opening, “I don’t want to tell you what happened, I want to tell you how it felt.”