Reviews with content warning for Slavery - Forty Acres

I have so many mixed feelings about this one. The content was hard to read but it was a page turner for sure. This book had me asking myself a lot of hard questions

Content Warnings

cleches's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad 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? No

3.75

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samdalefox's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I loved this book. Mum recommended it to me after she had read it, and usually the thriller genre isn't my cup of tea, but I thought I'd try it and I'm so so soooo glad that I did! The book handles complex ideas of race well and leaves the reader a lot to consider. A social thriller/horror similar to 'Get Out', I was impressed with the scope of the story and look forward to reading more from the author. I'm going to read Smith's latest book 'The Unkind Hours' now precisely because I loved 'Forty Acres' so much.

Forty Acres is a genuine page turner; I read it in two sittings and it held my interest throughout, (it would have been one sitting if I didn't have to go to work). The story develops quickly, but doesn't feel rushed, and although I've seen other reviewers' complain that the style of writing is too simplistic "it reads like an airport thriller", I disagree. The pace and language made for delicious, enjoyable, reading. It was a welcome break from my usual 'heavier' genres and to be brutally honest - the simpler language made the deeply disturbing and difficult topics more bearable and accessible to a wider audience. So, bravo Smith!

I think I enjoyed it so much because it's a thought-provoking thriller. There are definitely tense bits and action bits, but I also found myself agreeing with people with strongly conflicting points of view that stayed with me long after finishing the book. Many of the statements made by Dr. Kasim,

the leader of the secret society of wealthy and powerful black men,

made me pause and reflect on our society as a whole. The author is careful to show many trains of thought about race, class, mutal aid, reparations, revenge, justice, hate (of the self and other), and significantly: intergenrational trauma of Black American men. He does this without preaching a 'one absolute moral truth', which I think was cleverly done to expose the vast grey areas when discussing the lasting impact of

slavery

. I kept thinking about how I would feel if viewing a similar situation through the lens of sexism and I definitely grasped the difficulty in discussing such a hugely personal, historically politcal, and emotional topic.

The one disappointment for me was the obvious sexism and misogynoir introduced into the storyline that was never directly addressed. I think it worked as a passive comment about the kind of power being sort and attained by the men i.e. it's still ultimately about them; an inversion of toxic masculinity and patriarchal power rather than an equitable evolution away from that. And I was glad for the bathroom scene between

Anna and Juanita

. But I would like to have seen a little more active work by the author to directly address this element of the story.

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ashp's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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