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fernreads42's review
emotional
mysterious
sad
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? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Racism
swetha062's review
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
medium-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
3.5
The first half explains a feeling of grief like how you miss the presence of someone around you, a physical being. The second half gets you through with a person as a feeling that is uncertain, like you are really confused as to what you would do if they never left with the last portion signifying death for anyone as it comes. It's a non-linear story of feelings as the author warns. I was captivated reading the first half and I really loved it. However the characterization in the second half felt a little weak and sometimes obscure with the narration. Otherwise a fascinating read on grief.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Grief, Toxic friendship, and Classism
serendipitysbooks's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-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
3.75
he Furrows is a book in two parts and while I liked both parts- the first rather more than the second - I struggled with the switch and am not convinced that they combined to form a satisfying whole.
The first part begins with death of Wayne when he was 7 and his older sister Cassandra (aka C and Cee) was 12. The details surrounding his death are a little murky but what is clear is the impact his death had on C and her parents, and the feelings of responsibility she harbours. This was a brilliant literary depiction of the waves of grief, the way it appears and reappears in the same or different guises, in ways don’t don’t always seem to make a lot of sense.
The second half is narrated by a man who is using the same name is C’s dead brother. He’s had a rough go at life but is trying to reform, while also dealing with some ghosts from his past. He and C meet and a slightly uncomfortable relationship develops.
Apart from grief this novel also explores race in some subtle and not so subtle ways. I’m sure it does other things as well. But honestly? I just didn’t feel clever enough for parts of this book. I was sometimes confused, not always sure what was going on or why. In some places I felt that was the author’s intention; in others I’m not so sure.
The first part begins with death of Wayne when he was 7 and his older sister Cassandra (aka C and Cee) was 12. The details surrounding his death are a little murky but what is clear is the impact his death had on C and her parents, and the feelings of responsibility she harbours. This was a brilliant literary depiction of the waves of grief, the way it appears and reappears in the same or different guises, in ways don’t don’t always seem to make a lot of sense.
The second half is narrated by a man who is using the same name is C’s dead brother. He’s had a rough go at life but is trying to reform, while also dealing with some ghosts from his past. He and C meet and a slightly uncomfortable relationship develops.
Apart from grief this novel also explores race in some subtle and not so subtle ways. I’m sure it does other things as well. But honestly? I just didn’t feel clever enough for parts of this book. I was sometimes confused, not always sure what was going on or why. In some places I felt that was the author’s intention; in others I’m not so sure.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Racism, and Grief
mzynda's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-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
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Racism, Self harm, and Grief
heybrownberry's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness, Racial slurs, Violence, and Grief
Minor: Racism
bookreviewswithkb's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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? No
4.25
4.25 ✨
elegy, psychological thriller, mystery, literary fiction
author of THE OLD DRIFT
this novel is the epitome of the protagonist’s desire - she isn’t here to tell us what happened, but to tell us how it felt. and you will feel. i don’t think it’s possible to fully grasp all Serpell offers in this novel on the first read through and i think it would be easy to give up on this novel but you absolutely shouldn’t. it’s worth giving all of your attention to and then some
the first half is a kind of elegy, for the main character’s grief experienced by the death of her brother, but also for all the ways Black people are harmed by this world and the ever changing flow of grief that follows
in the second half there’s a shift in POV and in language and in feel. it is an exploration of the systems that oppress Black people and the ways it can manifest and how much power it can hold
“you get a rap like that, eighteen years old? in baltimore? it’s a wrap. it’s like you dead, and now you gotta spend the rest of your days as a ghost to the life you was supposed to be livin. and when i got out, what was i sposed to do? …get me an apartment and a job? aint nobody hirin an ex-con. nah, man. truth is, there ain’t no life but The Life once you done a nickel.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: Death and Police brutality