owenwilsonbaby's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I keep changing my mind but I think my favourite read of this year is a tie between this collection of short stories and Alexander Chee's most recent essay collection.
Whilst some of Berlin's attitudes and language, particularly around race and orientation, can be hard to read, the stories in this collection are so moving and profound. She's not afraid to write about people often overlooked and marginalised, using truth and keen observation to draw out both the moments of beauty and ugliness in everyday life. Her imagery and use of little details create really evocative episodes. The insight into grief and addiction is incredible. My favourite stories were probably Strays, for its eerie and truthful portrayal of an early rehab programme, So Long, for its very painful portrait of grief and Let Me See You Smile for its stark depiction of addiction, police brutality and love. Berlin has an excellent knack for dialogue which makes her relationships feel organic and gripping - particularly in the titular story A Manual for Cleaning Women, all of her conversations with her husband ("I'll do macrame, punk!") are exquisitely funny and romantic. I'll forever be heartbroken by "Once he told me he loved me because I was like San Pablo Avenue." What a line. What a voice!
Graphic: Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Animal death, Body shaming, Cancer, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Toxic relationship, Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Blood, Classism, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Abortion, Medical trauma, Pedophilia, Police brutality, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Car accident, Mental illness, Misogyny, and Racism
Moderate: Xenophobia and War
drlove2018's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Grief, Domestic abuse, Abortion, Addiction, Alcoholism, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Suicide, Medical trauma, Incest, Emotional abuse, and Drug abuse
thewordsdevourer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
though the stories are a mildly discombobulating mix and read very slow initially, the book's second half is markedly compelling and more intense somehow, w/ some of my favorites being "grief," "let me see you smile," and "here it is saturday."
berlin's trademark of - as a review on the back cover puts it - "brutal one-liners and swift reversals" always keeps the reader subconsciously on edge, and even make me flinch on occasion when the ball drops. there are no obvious happy endings or resolution of plot points, as the stories are akin to snapshot of moments in time, yet they also ring true, noted in their emotional resonance that are never gratuitous.
i also greatly appreciate the genuine portrayal and inclusion of society's marginalized, whether it be in terms of race, gender, class, the imprisoned, nationality, disability, etc. to be honest i was very surprised by how aware berlin is of all the aforementioned groups and issues, never reducing anyone to caricatures. esp considering the time period during which she wrote the stories, it seems like she's ahead of her time, and attests to the fact that pre-'woke' stories and literature can be diverse - it reflects the actual world, after all - and need not be blandly uniformed.
overall, i enjoy this book for its real stories, diverse rep (who would have thought?), unpredictability, though will have to reread it once im in the right headspace to more greatly appreciate the first half.
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Drug use, Infidelity, Medical content, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racial slurs, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Bullying, Cancer, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Pregnancy, Racism, Rape, Sexual harassment, Terminal illness, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Abandonment, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, and Xenophobia
milliebrierley's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, and Drug use
Moderate: Abortion, Cancer, Car accident, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Grief, Medical content, Medical trauma, Racial slurs, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, and Violence