Scan barcode
godofwar's review against another edition
3.0
doesn't possess the same manic energy as the song, but the expanded lore and narration is incredibly interesting. deserves a reread from me since I was in a slump when I started and just didn't/couldn't appreciate it like I should
rosalindpoet's review against another edition
4.0
so the audiobook is fast af... gonna read this one on paper. back to the holds shelf /sigh
elizar0cks's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
4.0
Really enjoyed the adaptation. This short story was thoughtful about the pain that can come with being educated about history. It added lore of a utopian society born of pain which was empowering.
lumbagofio's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
5.0
lostinfrance's review against another edition
1.0
I am so disappointed!!! The premise of this book....was fascinating, but sadly, this book....did not live up to its potential- or the awesome song that inspired it (Daveed Diggs). I was looking for a novella on the mer-creatures that came from the slaves thrown over board during their sea travel to the Caribbean.
Instead it was a very repetitive book with barely any structure...where things need to be assumed. It was boring and painful to get through- some editing would have been helpful.
Read- don't. Wow.
PopSugar Reading Challenge 2023: A book you meant to read in 2022
Instead it was a very repetitive book with barely any structure...where things need to be assumed. It was boring and painful to get through- some editing would have been helpful.
Read- don't. Wow.
PopSugar Reading Challenge 2023: A book you meant to read in 2022
pikkumarja's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.75
I believe this story is one of those stories that split the readers. I enjoyed reading this book. It was so powerful. All the emotions were so skillfully described I was almost able to feel the pressure, feel the dark, deep ocean around me and the weight of the history.
The novella is queer in a unique way and very emotional.
The novella is queer in a unique way and very emotional.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Slavery, Violence, and Blood
cb1984's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
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
4.0
So this book is about the impact of the slave trade on black America and how to reckon with and recollect it. As a white British person I am supremely unqualified to have much informed comment on it. But hey, this is the internet, when has lack of qualification ever stopped anyone?
It was very interesting. It felt like rather than being about the underwater society of wajinru, it was really about the division of labour in black society between remembering the impact of the slave trade on their society versus existing/thriving in current society. The idea of having a specific rememberer and the unfair burden on them, but then also the impossibility of everyone having responsibility to remember everything. It's just a very interesting and important concept. I could see it being explored again and again by different authors/different formats (as it already has been - it's a book based on a song based on an album).
The writing was a bit hit and miss - it felt like there were passages which were really well and evocatively written, but then there'd be pages which felt just pretty prosaic.
Overall, I think because of the writing I found it more interesting in concept than in execution, but that's not to say the execution was poor.
It was very interesting. It felt like rather than being about the underwater society of wajinru, it was really about the division of labour in black society between remembering the impact of the slave trade on their society versus existing/thriving in current society. The idea of having a specific rememberer and the unfair burden on them, but then also the impossibility of everyone having responsibility to remember everything. It's just a very interesting and important concept. I could see it being explored again and again by different authors/different formats (as it already has been - it's a book based on a song based on an album).
The writing was a bit hit and miss - it felt like there were passages which were really well and evocatively written, but then there'd be pages which felt just pretty prosaic.
Overall, I think because of the writing I found it more interesting in concept than in execution, but that's not to say the execution was poor.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery
grandiose_r's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
eheidenreich's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
5.0