Reviews

And This Is How to Stay Alive, by Shingai Kagunda

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claraberkelana's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

essjay's review against another edition

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emotional medium-paced

4.0

I love the work to decolonize English, and that Time is a literal character. It didn't matter that I don't speak Kiswahili, I was able to understand through context clues. I had several friends growing up who were second generation immigrants, whose parents spoke a mix of Spanish/Tagalog/Fārsī/Vietnamese and English at home. Reading this book reminded me of sitting at their dinner tables.

lavenderdafrog1's review against another edition

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reflective sad 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? Yes

4.0

sidljohnson's review against another edition

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emotional sad

4.0

anaelodiereads's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

alic59books's review against another edition

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challenging reflective 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? Yes

4.25

smittenbystories's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious reflective sad fast-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? No

5.0

“I could hear it calling me. Not the box—the thing inside it. I could smell so many different things from within: sweet and bitter, sour, salty, honey, savoury, pungent, thick, but also soft, lingering. The past and the future.

The smell of time is heavy.”

I lovelovelove this novella. It is magical. A beautiful book of grief and siblings told through short chapters of different characters’ points of view. Just… wow.

Content Warnings