Reviews

Alligator and Other Stories by Dima Alzayat

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savvylit's review against another edition

dark 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

4.0

The connecting thread throughout the stories in Alligator is one of disconnection. Whether disconnected by grief, gender, or outsider status, each character in this collection is singular and affecting. Ultimately, the most powerful of all these stories is the titular one, "Alligator." In it, Alzayat mixes form, featuring newspaper clippings and first-person perspectives from multiple members of the same grieving family. As the story progresses, the racial tensions of rural Florida in the mid-20th century gradually reveal themselves with stark and disturbing clarity. In the aftermath of a lynching, the characters of Alligator are forced to reckon with their loss.

Content Warnings

dallin's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

parano's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

3.5

alenezela99's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.0

nyne's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad slow-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

3.5

obsessioncollector's review against another edition

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emotional reflective

5.0

"Watching the assistant, Lina’s fretfulness dissipated, and she began to see that she was not intended to succeed on terms other than the ones now spread out before her. She wondered if perhaps this path had been, despite her oblivion, clearly signposted, and whether if she had only looked down and around, instead of directly ahead, she might have seen the signs. Of this, however, she was to remain unconvinced, and she became increasingly sure the signs, while present, were never meant to be seen."