emily_mh's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
I don’t feel right as a white person attaching a rating to this incredible and important book, but just know I 100% recommend it.
The most significant part of this story is the theme of the importance of remembering racist history. This must be done so that society can heal from it and so move forwards toward an antiracist future. If left unaddressed, the problem just worsens. But this book also shows that the burden of addressing and healing racist history falls upon Black people, because white people like myself are able to walk away from the harm we cause.
Strong also creates an astounding sense of place. Every description of setting is subtly geared towards painting a vivid picture of a small Southern town in summer. The atmosphere that is conveyed is transportive.
Additionally, I appreciated how Strong captured the weird relationship of long distance cousins in Sarah and Janie’s relationship. You have this underlying, core loyalty to one another even though you rarely meet and are often strangers to one another.
Finally, I loved how Sarah was so passionate about astronomy. Not only was this a really interesting hobby to see played out on page, but it was woven in so well with the overall narrative.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Murder, Racism, and Hate crime
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Violence
Minor: Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Ableism, Alcohol, Classism, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexism, and Slavery
Graphic: loss of a loved one Moderate: missing loved one Minor: colourism, earthquakes, theft, internalised misogyny, lost pet
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