Reviews with content warning for Alcoholism - Don't Cry for Me: A Novel

“If you get nothing else from this letter, understand that I never knew how to love. I dreamed of it, but I never experienced it. What I knew was pain. So that’s what I gave you. I’d never seen a black life free from it, so my job as a father, I assumed, was to prepare your back for the load. I hope that, after you read this, you’ll return my pain to me.”

Content Warnings

gcrespo97's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense 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

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jazhandz's review against another edition

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challenging emotional slow-paced

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

2.25

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mcz_reads's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.5

I appreciated the perspective of Don't Cry for Me. Jacob is of a generation concerned more with survival than self-improvement, and the letters he writes to his gay son, Isaac, offer depth and nuance that I don't often see in literature when it comes to flawed fathers. This book offers context without justifying the harm Jacob caused; however, I would have liked to see more validation of how he his wife, Rachel, and Isaac. Jacob's remorse seems to stem more from his loneliness than in his acceptance that he was wrong. I would have liked to see more in general. The epistolary format of the novel was a unique approach and made a quick read of Jacob's life, but I think some non-letter chapters would have added depth to the story. I would have liked to see a little of Isaac's perspective. The writing style is suited to the book's format; it is plain-spoken to match Jacob's character, but Black does no shy away from literary flair when it adds to the story.

I did like this book and I would recommend others pick it up if they are interested. However, I think the people who would benefit most from it--fathers entrenched in toxic masculinity--would be the hardest to convince to read it.

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