Reviews tagging 'Grief'

What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky by Lesley Nneka Arimah

6 reviews

kananineko's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Classism

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Car accident, Suicide attempt, and War

Minor: Gun violence

ka_cam's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful 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? Yes

4.75

Once I started reading this short story collection it was hard to stop! Quite varied in types but themes of connection, family, diaspora, and women’s relationships/desires (incl some casual queerness love 2 see it). Some of the stories read more like teasers or brainstorms for a longer story/novel, rather than complete short stories. All in all really enjoyed and am excited to read more by this author! 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racism, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, and War

Minor: Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Bullying, Blood, and Car accident

moonlitemuseum's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

The platter of misery served up by Lesley Nneka Arimah is so potent and rich that I could barely stomach it. It took me two tries to get through this anthology of short stories in full, but what a range! So many left me feeling haunted, empty, gnawing, but thoroughly sustained in spite of that.

I originally heard the titular "What It Means When A Man Falls from the Sky" on Levar Burton's podcast and it shook me to the core. A world where math=empathy, where our current climate troubles turn global politics inside-out, where grief is empirically indigestible—i loved everything about the anxious world she wove in this story. It hits like a bullet every time.

Most of the stories take a grain of sadness in the lives of women and inspect it under a microscope. How do they fail themselves? How are they failed by the societies around them? How do they continue on? I often dreaded the pause that signaled the end of the story, knowing its characters would be left there, suspended in their grief. It's incredibly effective work. I can't wait to read more from this author.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage

Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Grief, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, and Blood

princeofthefleshprison's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes

5.0

Dark, poignant, and melancholy all throughout, What It Means When A Man Falls From the Sky is an accomplished collection. Grief and generational trauma haunt all of the eclectic characters, whether that be a pregnant teenage con artist or a goddess searching for her children. Spanning across the diverse settings its protagonists find themselves in —from modern-day US to futuristic Lagos —  each story is written with noteworthy wit and simplicity, just before the final, gut-wrenching end. Highly recommend, 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Sexual violence, Pregnancy, and War

etosaurus's review against another edition

dark sad

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexism, Kidnapping, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Child death, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Xenophobia, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Infidelity

franklybookish's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional medium-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? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent