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notthatcosta's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I found this book to be immaculately paced and immaculately executed, most notably in the inclusion of social media, that I rarely seen done successfully in any form of media.
It’s cliche but this is the kind of book I would love to see rolled out in schools like mine, where the majority of the students descended from former colonies who will recognise Jidada and its inhabitants in their family members.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Colonisation, and War
kammikim's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
The challenges:
1. The unique style of narration is no doubt intentional and I think meant to represent oral traditions of storytelling, while also making a point about the repetitiveness of history, but the constantly repeating phrases and sentence structures did make for a sluggish or exasperating read at times. Some places it added power to the story, others it took away from the power and momentum in my opinion.
2. The violence in this book is necessary to the story, but it is truly difficult to get through. I ended some chapters sobbing and had to step away from the book for a month+ at a time to process and recover. It's a testament to Bulawayo's incredible command of emotion, empathy, and unflinching attention to the worst sides of humanity that it had such a visceral effect on me as a reader, but be aware that this is a really, really tough read.
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Genocide, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
orlagal's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Trafficking, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Deportation
michaelsbirthday's review against another edition
- 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
I can understand why this book is divisive. It’s got a slow, boring start (a) and the writing style might not be for everyone (b). But I really think that Bulawayo’s writing is where this book is triumphant. It’s written as a zoomorphic fable or a fairy tale - a parable for us to take heed from - and it’s also a direct allegory for Zimbabwe’s very recent history - real, actual history. It has the devices you’d expect from a fable - repetition, allegory, generalisation - and the excruciating detail of historic events. I can see why some people say the animal gimmick doesn’t work, but I think, perhaps, that that in itself is something worth investigating. Can we reduce real, human events to a satirical generalisation? Isn’t it horrifying that in some ways, we can universalise these events - because Zimbabwe is far from the only place this has happened and happens? The rhythm/prosody/metre (I don’t know the right word) of the text is mesmerising. I personally loved the repetition; it contributed to the story-telling aspect, was emphatic, drew out semantic nuance and deconstructed political symbolism. I ate it up.
In terms of the plot, I do feel that the political set up at the start could have been cut by 100 pages. While the writing was interesting, the plot barely existed - or rather, it did, we were just told it from three different characters’ perspectives successively and the so the plot went nowhere for a very long time. I wish, conversely, that more time had been spent with Destiny and Simiso and their relationship.
Graphic: Genocide, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Rape
plasticpansy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Genocide, Torture, Violence, Blood, and War
natrabbits's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.0
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Racism, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
indiahollym's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
- Her writing is immense: tongue n cheek, emotive, skillful, colourful. She gives real character to each and every voice in the story basically just using their dialogue and very little else. P wicked
- Inspired me into pursuit of learning about Zimbabwe’s history instead of being intimidated by what I didn’t know
- Some absolutely gutting moments with my heart in my throat
Moderate: Genocide, Gun violence, Rape, Police brutality, and War
imlfox's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Genocide, Sexual violence, Violence, Police brutality, and Murder
toniamarieparker's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Racism, Rape, Suicide, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Genocide and Kidnapping
oddity123's review against another edition
- 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? No
4.75
Graphic: Genocide, Rape, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Cursing
Minor: Suicide