Scan barcode
jimio's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Unnervingly prescient for something published in 1940. Carson McCullers was only 23 years old when she wrote this and it’s filled with a tender wisdom that recalls those other great writers of so-called gothic fiction – fans of William Faulkner, Flannery O’Connor, or Cormac McCarthy should read this if they haven’t already.
Stirring up themes that still linger today – BLM, the 1%, fascism in the US, and even the fluidity of gender – this is a powerful book of muscular prose that deserves a modern audience.
Stirring up themes that still linger today – BLM, the 1%, fascism in the US, and even the fluidity of gender – this is a powerful book of muscular prose that deserves a modern audience.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Gun violence, Racial slurs, and Murder
Moderate: Body horror, Suicide, Torture, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Body shaming and Child abuse
elphaba105's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is probably my favourite novel of all time. It follows four characters and the friendships they each form with a deaf man, Mister Singer. Each character feels alone and misunderstood in society for different reasons and believe that Singer is the only one who can understand them, despite the fact he is mute. Singer in turn loves dearly his friend Antonapoulos, the only person who he can communicate with in sign language, but is separated from him due to mental disability. Exploring grief, racism, the alienation caused by capitalism and disability, it’s a beautiful and heart-wrenching book. I’ve read it twice (so far) and think about it constantly. I’m not sure I will ever find a book that touches my heart in the same way that this does. It’s very character-driven and almost unrelentingly bleak the whole way through, which I love, but if you’re looking for a lot of plot or a happy ending, you won’t find it here.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Death, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, and Grief
Moderate: Suicide, Torture, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Gun violence and Sexual content