Reviews with content warning for Toxic relationship - In Every Mirror She's Black

Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

In Every Mirror She's Black by Lọlá Ákínmádé Åkerström

24 reviews

betsw's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

This is a story of the ways that society traps black women and grinds them down, and it conveys that experience powerfully. Although it mostly takes place in Sweden, there are American characters and it seems like many of the cultural issues examined are common between both countries. Very good and very well-written, you connect with and root for all three protagonists. I think it was important that the book ends the way it does, but it wasn't the ending I expected.

I was expecting to see the characters go through difficulties and ultimately overcome them, but then this would have been a book about "the lucky ones" rather than an honest examination of more common experiences. Instead, we see how each of the three characters is worn down by the indifference and often often unintentional harm caused by others, in addition to small tastes of overt, hostile bigotry. Great book, just don't go into it expecting everyone to learn their lesson and the women to escape unscathed at the end.

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lauravreads's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted medium-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

3.5

This book follows 3 different Black women and their immigration to Sweden. Kemi is a Marketing executive from DC and moved to Sweden for a job opportunity. Brittany is a flight attendant from Atlanta and finds herself in Sweden after she begins a relationship with a frequent traveler from Sweden. Muna is a refugee from Somalia living in an asylum for refugees.

Each of these women has wildly different experiences due to their personal circumstances. As expected Muna has the hardest time finding employment, and receiving legal documents. However, they all share a similar experience of being a Black woman. They deal with racism, fetishization, and tokenization. These characters did not interact much rather they each had their individual storyline.

Out of the three women I found Kemi the most relatable character. As she moved to Sweden for work, her story focuses a lot on workplace racism, tokenism, work relationsips, and exploitation. I absolutely LOVED how professional she is! There were so many instances where I was just so proud of the way she handled certain situations.

I found Muna to be the most loveable character however her story was very emotional and serious. Her story highlighted inequities, classism, and international politics. Brittany on the other hand was a very frustrating character. Her storyline was very dramatic but lighthearted at the same time. Her story almost felt like a telenovela or sitcom. However, it did highlight fetishization and white privilege.

**Spoiler Ahead**

Jonny is another main character in this novel. As soon as he was introduced I noticed that he had a lot of the characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorder. In the last 10% of the book, it is disclosed that he was indeed on the spectrum but undiagnosed and protected by his immense wealth. I feel that this highlighted the stigma regarding ASD as well as the ablism in society. I am glad that he was held accountable for his actions rather than excused for his ASD. However, I did feel that it fed a bit into the negative stereotype of people with ASD.

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zakiyaj's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense 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

4.5

A haunting depiction of Black women attempting to navigate through society. Three stories that intertwine only once. I related to a lot of pieces of each character

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bandysbooks's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful reflective 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

This is the story of three Black women, each from a different background, living in Sweden and tied together by one unique man. I loved that we get a POV for each of the three women so that we get a chance to really know them. We learn their hopes, fears, and struggles. I felt like I had a good idea of who each of them was by the end of the book.

I really liked the author’s dedication to portraying characters with diverse backgrounds. The main three characters are each Black women, but their backgrounds are varied. Kemi is Nigerian-American, Muna is a refugee to Sweden from Somalia, and Brittney-Rae is African American. The main male character, Johnny, is neuro divergent and portrayed thoughtfully. We also see supporting characters who are refugees from Eritrea and Syria and two of Kemi’s friends are a gay couple. All of the diversity makes the story so much richer and realistic.

My only real critique of this story is that the ending was a bit open ended. I didn’t necessarily want it to be neatly wrapped up, but I wish there was just a bit more.

All in all, I would definitely recommend it for contemporary fiction readers, particularly readers with an interest in prejudice, xenophobia, fetishism, ableism, and racism.

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toadstoolsnshit's review against another edition

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challenging emotional slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This novel covers some really important topics in an skillful and insightful way. While I wasn’t really a fan of the writing style, I appreciated the perspective that this book offers.

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