Reviews with content warning for Hate crime - The Office of Historical Corrections

This is my first Danielle Evans read and I’m an instant fan. Short storytelling is an art and she’s an artist. Each story was a uniquely powerful look into the plurality of experiences with racial inequity in America - equally poignant and pithy and effortlessly moves from witty to uncomfortable to melancholy. I’ll be sitting with the final pages for some time.

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nadia's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

A real solid collection of stories, heavily focused on the themes of race in America, especially the experiences of black women, correcting past mistakes, apologies, and forgiveness.

I really enjoyed the variety and the themes explored and was intrigued by the setup of pretty much all of the stories. However, I'm left feeling like a little something was missing when thinking of the collection as a whole. I can't help but feel like I was on the verge of "wow" for a lot of the stories but then they fell short a little bit. I guess it's the common "I wanted more!" that I typically have with short stories.

I'm also wondering whether this would have been a better one for me to read in print. I listened to the audio and I think jumping in and out that way made it harder for me to remember salient details, especially with the novella at the end.

However, the writing is great and there were some real standout moments, especially in the titular novella. It's also incredibly thought-provoking on several layers. I was going to give this book a 3.75, but I think I want to round it up to a 4!

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thewordsdevourer's review against another edition

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challenging reflective medium-paced

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

3.25

a nice collection of short stories and a novella, the office of historical corrections depicts the stories of various women, all of whom are braving against sth, w/ "richard of york...", "why wont women..." and "anything could disappear" being my favorites.

woven thruout many of the stories are both casual and uncasual racism, whose depiction that encompasses a wide range of seriousness demonstrates how corrosive it is, how constant the strain is in black characters, how it could turn fatal and life-threatening w/ the drop of a hat.

while evans explores her characters - even the unpleasant ones - interestingly enough, some of the stories stand more than others, while a few is forgettable. the book's also not as impactful as it could be, i think, but perhaps it's the author's intention to make this collection an understated one.

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mmayern's review

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challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

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tenten's review

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emotional funny

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

5.0

ALL BANGERS. NO SKIP ALBUM.

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lectora21's review

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challenging emotional reflective fast-paced

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

4.75

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old_murr's review

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challenging dark emotional tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

I always love a good book of short stories, and this one sets the bar high. Each story sends you right into the world of someone who is complex, flawed, and intriguing. I would have loved to dive deeper into the world of each short story, but what she gives us with each one is just enough. The last story, which the book is named after, is steady and thought provoking and tragic. I can't wait to read more by Evans.

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