Reviews

Innards: Stories by Magogodi oaMphela Makhene

azu_rikka's review against another edition

3.5

I love the tone and the voices of these interconnected shortstories. The different races are authentically depicted first via language (though it might fly over people's heads who don't understand the words) and second via their history. 
I like the layers of the stories, showing victims being perpetrators being rescuers and the other way round, all the grey areas of individuals and communities. 
Also, the author points out current political and social issues in a straightforward way.
For me, the stories could have been linked a bit more tightly and although I loved the slang, it might make her writing less appealing for Non-South Africans, as it is a mix of many languages (Afrikaans, Zulu, Sotho etc)

flowahh_'s review against another edition

challenging dark informative lighthearted reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.5

hlabusi_reads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging funny informative tense fast-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

3.75

barbarakingfisher's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.0

camokclay's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective tense

4.5

Appreciated that the author did not cater to American/English readers. Learned quite a bit

seahorsecowgirl420's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad 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

4.75

naomiwhit's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.5

bakar's review against another edition

4.5

i really enjoyed how they wrote in ways that made me feel left out bc i don’t have the cultural context but didn’t try to explain and dilute the story’s specificities. language and worldviews should stay specific and the lessons that resonate in bodies deeply should be explored within their own specific contexts 

sabcof's review against another edition

challenging dark

3.75

jbogerhawkins's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense 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

3.75