Reviews with content warning for Pedophilia - Creatures of Passage

An incredible read, and a book I couldn't put down, even when some passages are less well-written than the rest.
It is a beautiful story about life and death and how love lives on, even in the darkest of places.
The poetic entanglement of the mundane and the spiritual creates a sharp contrast to the atrocities lived by some of the characters and their trauma, which haunts the whole narrative.
Be prepared, however, when you start reading, because this is a story about racial injustice and intergenerational trauma, and those themes are ever-present.
I loved the many characters and following them through the grief of their past selves or their loved ones.

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writingcaia's review

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

Deserves more hype and more love.
A lyrical story of the tragedy of being abused, of being part of systemic racism and killings.
It’s chilling and haunting, and poetic, and doesn’t let go.

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loesm's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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

4.25

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bookzombiee19's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

4.0

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bobbyclark's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense 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

Creatures of Passage is a very heavy and abstract speculative fiction, that reads like poetry and feels like mythology. Taking inspiration from Egyptian mythology, Yejidé navigates a somewhat simple story of a broken family in 70’s Washington DC through wave after wave of philosophy, culture, grief, and trauma. This is a beautifully written story, but you can’t escape the weight of it. This is not horror, but it is haunting.

The pace is slow and I do wish I had looked up the trigger warnings before jumping into this. I’m not sure I was mentally ready for some of the child stuff that this novel revolves around. While not exactly graphic, Yejidé does put you face to face with it.

3.5 to 4 stars. I’m teetering between the two.

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serendipitysbooks's review against another edition

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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

5.0

Creatures of Passage is a reread which managed to blow me away again. Despite being longlisted for the Women’s Prize this seems to have flown under the radar which is a shame because it is the most memorable book I’ve read this year. It’s richly atmospheric and there is plenty of tension and foreshadowing, a real sense of foreboding. It’s the work of a fabulous storyteller adept at using language which is both gorgeous and powerful. The final section…. phew. Heavy but highly recommended.

Content Warnings

moa's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad tense 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

4.0

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