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lizlikesfrogs's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, and Police brutality
rachelfek's review against another edition
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism
hoiyan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Memory's got nothing to do with the old and grey and faraway gone. Memory's the muscle sting of now. A kid reaching brave in the skull hum of power.
wow. this is one of those books that punch you in the gut and you feel that hurt forever.
a story set in Scarborough about a first-gen Caribbean family that touches on being Black in Canada, and the ongoing grief that follows.
chariandy sets up the book slowly, using beautiful descriptions of Scarborough that change and adapt to the events happening at the time of the description, and makes the inanimate come to life.
the timeline going forward and back and forward again is pretty unorthodox, and was a bit confusing to keep track of which events happened when, but are vital to the storytelling. this novel's delivery almost mimics the memory flow of, you guessed it, a human being.
"Volume!" Every voice in the place together.
Volume!
this book gripped my little first-gen Canadian, child of an immigrant heart and didn't let go. i'm hesitating to give a full five stars due to one detail: chariandy using the homophobic f slur in his writing, and not as a reclamation. david chariandy is a cishet man, and has no right to use this slur, not even as another character speaking. he rightfully reclaimed the n slur in this book, but as a cishet man, had no right to use the homophobic f slur, no exceptions.
all in all, this book made me feel too much and made me want to cry one too many times. i highly recommend, and leave you with this:
"And if you can't memory right," he said, "you lose."
Graphic: Gun violence, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, and Grief
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Domestic abuse, and Mental illness
Minor: Cancer, Homophobia, Sexual content, and Death of parent
bailey63's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Gun violence, Racial slurs, and Police brutality
Minor: Cancer, Homophobia, and Dementia
maryjames's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Blood
karenaerts's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Blood, Police brutality, and Grief
Moderate: Bullying, Cancer, Gun violence, Sexual content, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, and Alcohol
steph1225's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Cancer, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Violence, Police brutality, and Murder
moonbeam_erin's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Racism and Violence
Moderate: Death, Racial slurs, Blood, and Police brutality
Minor: Death of parent
clem's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Racism, Police brutality, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Racial slurs and Blood
Minor: Cancer, Drug use, Car accident, and Death of parent