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egg_apologist's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deadnaming, Death, Homophobia, Incest, Transphobia, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Xenophobia and Colonisation
salemander's review against another edition
5.0
this shit absolutely broke my heart, emezi has such a gorgeous way with words. the way they immerse you into these worlds and make you sit in these feelings of discomfort is absolutely unmatched.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Incest, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
natfindingjoy's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- 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? No
5.0
Akwaeke writes of deep love. Love that transcends identity and relationship and all definitions.
It is not shallow. It is not dependent on other people’s beliefs and perceptions. It’s shameless on all levels.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Transphobia
Moderate: Incest
lizziaha's review against another edition
challenging
sad
5.0
AKWAEKE EMEZI YOUVE DONE IT AGAIN!! You ever read a sentence and it’s so good you want to eat it??
This book deals with some very complex issues and honestly i felt deeply uncomfortable about some of it. But I think that’s part of what made the book so good. It lets you form your own conclusions alongside the characters. It forces you to wade into the nuance and muddy your own moral compass.
It’s really impossible to describe this reading experience but i want a physical copy in my hands NOW. A reread is imminent.
This book deals with some very complex issues and honestly i felt deeply uncomfortable about some of it. But I think that’s part of what made the book so good. It lets you form your own conclusions alongside the characters. It forces you to wade into the nuance and muddy your own moral compass.
It’s really impossible to describe this reading experience but i want a physical copy in my hands NOW. A reread is imminent.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Incest, Infidelity, Transphobia, and Grief
Moderate: Biphobia, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Mental illness, Sexual content, Blood, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Dysphoria
Minor: Rape
sydneyrose18's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Incest, and Transphobia
micksland's review
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
4.5 stars
This novel is emotional, dark, and cathartic. It contains several extremely violent and explicit passages which unfortunately relate to story spoilers, but please look up content warning if you choose to read it. It will rip your heart out. Fans of Shakspearean and Greek tragedies will love this modern equivalent.
I am convinced that Emezi's prose is some of the best in the English language. Each sentence is carefully placed and this short novel hits far above its page count. For example:
"Life was like being dragged through concrete in circles, wet and setting concrete that dried with each rotation of my unwilling body. As a child, I was light. It didn’t matter too much; I slid through it, and maybe it even felt like a game, like I was just playing in mud, like nothing about that slipperiness would ever change, not really. But then I got bigger and it started drying on me and eventually I turned into an uneven block, chipping and sparking on the hard ground, tearing off into painful chunks. I wanted to stay empty, like the eagle in the proverb, left to perch, my bones filled with air pockets, but heaviness found me and I couldn’t do anything about it. I couldn’t shake it off; I couldn’t transform it, evaporate or melt it. It was distinct from me, but it hooked itself into my body like a parasite. I couldn’t figure out if something was wrong with me or if this was just my life—if this was just how people felt, like concrete was dragging their flesh off their bones."
So, why not the full five stars? I was somewhat confused by the way that the narration was done. Sometimes it felt as if Vivek's ghost was commenting on the story, and sometimes it was written as if Vivek would have been commenting. It was almost like the novel could not decide if it was literary fiction or truly magical realism. Aside from that, just fantastic.
This novel is emotional, dark, and cathartic. It contains several extremely violent and explicit passages which unfortunately relate to story spoilers, but please look up content warning if you choose to read it. It will rip your heart out. Fans of Shakspearean and Greek tragedies will love this modern equivalent.
I am convinced that Emezi's prose is some of the best in the English language. Each sentence is carefully placed and this short novel hits far above its page count. For example:
"Life was like being dragged through concrete in circles, wet and setting concrete that dried with each rotation of my unwilling body. As a child, I was light. It didn’t matter too much; I slid through it, and maybe it even felt like a game, like I was just playing in mud, like nothing about that slipperiness would ever change, not really. But then I got bigger and it started drying on me and eventually I turned into an uneven block, chipping and sparking on the hard ground, tearing off into painful chunks. I wanted to stay empty, like the eagle in the proverb, left to perch, my bones filled with air pockets, but heaviness found me and I couldn’t do anything about it. I couldn’t shake it off; I couldn’t transform it, evaporate or melt it. It was distinct from me, but it hooked itself into my body like a parasite. I couldn’t figure out if something was wrong with me or if this was just my life—if this was just how people felt, like concrete was dragging their flesh off their bones."
So, why not the full five stars? I was somewhat confused by the way that the narration was done. Sometimes it felt as if Vivek's ghost was commenting on the story, and sometimes it was written as if Vivek would have been commenting. It was almost like the novel could not decide if it was literary fiction or truly magical realism. Aside from that, just fantastic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Homophobia, Incest, Transphobia, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Animal death
madlyreading's review
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest
Moderate: Homophobia, Transphobia, and Outing
bruhbruh's review against another edition
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Another book about trans people for cis people, very disappointing from a non-binary author. And let's not even talk about the sexual/romantic cousin relationship.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Incest, Transphobia, and Religious bigotry
katiearcher's review against another edition
reflective
sad
medium-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 such a beautiful story. It evoked so many emotions, joy, sadness, rage, sympathy, pride. I really enjoyed the way the story unfolded; even knowing from the beginning, the back and forth in the timeline grounded all the pleasant moments in a deep sadness.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia
Moderate: Murder
bail33's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- 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
5.0
Best book I’ve read all year without question. Easily a classic in queer literature. No story has ever made me feel the way this one has.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Incest, Sexual content, Transphobia, and Violence