treegirl22's review
dark
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
The setting is really well done. I went to school in Handsworth so it was interesting to read about it in the 80s. It is more observation fly on the wall which for me made it feel like we never got in depth understandings of characters. It is not the style I prefer but others may like the sparse 'things that cannot be said' style. There are a lot of complex serious issues in the book but a lot of them feel only briefly dealt with.
Spoiler
Usha's continuous cleaning is just brushed under the carpet as are a lot of the children's issues. I also found it hard to empathise with Mukesh as he is physically abusive to the children and financially abusive. He is obviously suffering through a lot (as they all are) but just leaves Usha to get on with things and I felt the book didn't comment enough on this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Grief, Homophobia, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, and Violence
Moderate: Child abuse, Islamophobia, and Police brutality
Minor: Fatphobia
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