lostinthelibrary's review
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
You can tell this author is a poet. There are some beautiful passages of prose that gave a lot more insight to the motivations of the main character than anything in the plot did. These moments of introspection were the highlight of the novel and very much captured the weight of mental illness.
However, I felt that the plot did not live up to it's intriguing premise and was a mixed bag. I felt like the author did a good job at writing what he knew well (inner London) but struggled with capturing the atmosphere in the US scenes which made the book feel very uneven. A lot of characters make choices that are not fully explored and it overall left me a bit unsatisfied.
However, I felt that the plot did not live up to it's intriguing premise and was a mixed bag. I felt like the author did a good job at writing what he knew well (inner London) but struggled with capturing the atmosphere in the US scenes which made the book feel very uneven. A lot of characters make choices that are not fully explored and it overall left me a bit unsatisfied.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Suicide
ashleycmms's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, and Death
Moderate: Child death, Violence, Sexual content, and Suicide
Minor: Drug use
rworrall78's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
To (mis)quote Mark Kermode, I'd rather see someone try to do something original and miss the mark than for them to play it safe.
They were bits of this book that worked brilliantly. The main character with a limited amount of money to spend before he plans to kill himself. The abrupt ends to some of the chapters followed by the bank balance. Even the very hit and miss flights of imagery and philosophy sometimes really hit the mark.
But there was so much that just didn't make sense.
<Spoiler>why did Pastor Baptiste kill himself out of nowhere. Why did Michael come back? Why did the headteacher not say a thing when he clearly gives her the speech of a desperate man? Why was Dwayne killed, why was Michael jealous of Jalil's sham marriage? Why does Belle compare compare Michael favourably to a woman, for him to behave exactly like a stereotypical man in the very next chapter. Also, man falls deeply in love with sex worker and then tells her to stop doing her job...I think that was the point I really checked out. What was the Mr Barnes subplot about? there were hints at some really important themes like alienation from heritage, the devastation of war, the expectation and the sacrifice of parents. They were never fully developed. I didn't feel like I understood why Michael felt the was way he did. I know there doesn't have to be a why, but it felt like there were contributing factors that were ignored.
I did get a real sense of distance and dissociation. It made Michael behave despicably particularly towards the women in his life. But maybe that was the message.
All in all interesting and ambitious but a bit of a frustrating read.
They were bits of this book that worked brilliantly. The main character with a limited amount of money to spend before he plans to kill himself. The abrupt ends to some of the chapters followed by the bank balance. Even the very hit and miss flights of imagery and philosophy sometimes really hit the mark.
But there was so much that just didn't make sense.
<Spoiler>why did Pastor Baptiste kill himself out of nowhere. Why did Michael come back? Why did the headteacher not say a thing when he clearly gives her the speech of a desperate man? Why was Dwayne killed, why was Michael jealous of Jalil's sham marriage? Why does Belle compare compare Michael favourably to a woman, for him to behave exactly like a stereotypical man in the very next chapter. Also, man falls deeply in love with sex worker and then tells her to stop doing her job...I think that was the point I really checked out. What was the Mr Barnes subplot about? there were hints at some really important themes like alienation from heritage, the devastation of war, the expectation and the sacrifice of parents. They were never fully developed. I didn't feel like I understood why Michael felt the was way he did. I know there doesn't have to be a why, but it felt like there were contributing factors that were ignored.
I did get a real sense of distance and dissociation. It made Michael behave despicably particularly towards the women in his life. But maybe that was the message.
All in all interesting and ambitious but a bit of a frustrating read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Violence, Suicide, and Sexual content
thechroniclesofnadia's review
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Mental illness
Minor: Suicide
bookrecsondeck's review against another edition
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide
bookwormdystopian2's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide
Moderate: Racism
waybeyondblue's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Death, Violence, Murder, and Drug use
Minor: Cancer, Police brutality, and Suicide
nayha_w's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Self harm and Suicidal thoughts
psi_15's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
The writing is beautiful and poetic.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
sadiereadthat's review against another edition
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I received a copy of this book in exchange for a review.
This is the character driven story of a young Congolese man, Michael, living in London. He and his family were refugees, but he has been in London for a long time. His father is dead and he lives with his mother. He teaches English in a high school. He is not happy with the way his life is going and wants a change, so he takes all of his savings and heads to Los Angeles. This is where his story begins, but it does not end there.
This book flips between a chapter taking place in the present and a chapter taking place in the past and providing background information to help us better understand what is going on in his life. I wasn't sure I would like it when I started, so if you feel the same way, I suggest you stick to it. It was very confusing at first, and I didn't even realize it was the same guy in all of the chapters, but it became clearer. The story is wonderful and it seems very dark, but it really is touching and I felt so much for Michael.
This is the character driven story of a young Congolese man, Michael, living in London. He and his family were refugees, but he has been in London for a long time. His father is dead and he lives with his mother. He teaches English in a high school. He is not happy with the way his life is going and wants a change, so he takes all of his savings and heads to Los Angeles. This is where his story begins, but it does not end there.
This book flips between a chapter taking place in the present and a chapter taking place in the past and providing background information to help us better understand what is going on in his life. I wasn't sure I would like it when I started, so if you feel the same way, I suggest you stick to it. It was very confusing at first, and I didn't even realize it was the same guy in all of the chapters, but it became clearer. The story is wonderful and it seems very dark, but it really is touching and I felt so much for Michael.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Suicidal thoughts