oxtailandcabbage's review against another edition
4.0
I was lucky to receive an ARC of this book through netgalley in exchange for an honest review, so i'd like to thank the publisher for sending me this book.
What can I say about this book? I am speechless, amazed by the storytelling crafted by the author here, the sheer AUDACITY!!! Chinelo Okparanta is one of my favorite authors of this century and I have yet to be disappointed by her work. I am at awe by the amount of nuance, scandalous behavior, toxicity and innocence brought to Harry's character all at once. I found myself being pulled from every direction. The character work in this novel consists of various uphill battles of empathizing with Harry while also despising him deeply. I found the pacing to be straight to the point, very clean. I was gripped by this story from page one and managed to finish the book very quickly because it was such a page turner. This book will encourage people to take a closer look at child abuse, generational trauma, the dangers of white innocence, white liberalism and memory. Memory is a theme that is constantly revisited throughout this novel. And I really like the various ways it was explored from beginning to end. I thought this book was brilliant, funny, and I wanted to scream at times while reading this book publicly because so much kept happening, each chapter more appalling than the next. I really liked Maryam as a character. I admired her confidence but also recognized her own suffering through it all,while trying to build some sort of normalcy for herself,with the sorrows of displacement, migration and the daily cruelties of the world constantly at her neck. Many times I found myself wanting to protect her from her own decisions, gosh she needed it. I keep wondering what it is that she saw in that man that we the readers couldn't see, I'm always curious about questionable choices characters make. I loved that she had locs, I loved how tender she was, how she was able to follow her gut in the end and chose what was best for her.
Overall this was a satisfying read. I rated this 4 / 5 stars.
What can I say about this book? I am speechless, amazed by the storytelling crafted by the author here, the sheer AUDACITY!!! Chinelo Okparanta is one of my favorite authors of this century and I have yet to be disappointed by her work. I am at awe by the amount of nuance, scandalous behavior, toxicity and innocence brought to Harry's character all at once. I found myself being pulled from every direction. The character work in this novel consists of various uphill battles of empathizing with Harry while also despising him deeply. I found the pacing to be straight to the point, very clean. I was gripped by this story from page one and managed to finish the book very quickly because it was such a page turner. This book will encourage people to take a closer look at child abuse, generational trauma, the dangers of white innocence, white liberalism and memory. Memory is a theme that is constantly revisited throughout this novel. And I really like the various ways it was explored from beginning to end. I thought this book was brilliant, funny, and I wanted to scream at times while reading this book publicly because so much kept happening, each chapter more appalling than the next. I really liked Maryam as a character. I admired her confidence but also recognized her own suffering through it all,while trying to build some sort of normalcy for herself,with the sorrows of displacement, migration and the daily cruelties of the world constantly at her neck. Many times I found myself wanting to protect her from her own decisions, gosh she needed it. I keep wondering what it is that she saw in that man that we the readers couldn't see, I'm always curious about questionable choices characters make. I loved that she had locs, I loved how tender she was, how she was able to follow her gut in the end and chose what was best for her.
Overall this was a satisfying read. I rated this 4 / 5 stars.
paisley2k's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
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? Yes
3.5
readtotheend's review
funny
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
My impressions and feelings while reading this book were positive and I liked it but after being away from my computer a few days, I've started this review and cannot remember hardly anything about this which tells me it was not memorable. A perfectly fine, interesting read and I remember the character of Harry Sylvester Bird and his parents and his girlfriend but struggling to remember the details. It's definitely satirical but I think many people might be turned off because they may lose sight of the satire. Writing about a white man who identifies as Black with racist parents is quite the trip!
mswrightwright's review
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I see why this would be considered a polarizing novel. The novel is well-written and thoughtful, looking at trauma, racism, and privilege; she bends your thinking. Her critique of performative allyship is well done. However, while I understand how Harry developed into who he is, I found it difficult to like him as a character or extend empathy. I just couldn't find anything redemptive about Harry (maybe that was the point).
Maryam: "You know what I'm learning? Never have an ally. Allies are always loyal to their politics and never to you, never even to themselves" (218).
Maryam: "You know what I'm learning? Never have an ally. Allies are always loyal to their politics and never to you, never even to themselves" (218).
vwojtowicz's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
sittingwishingreading's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
olawnka's review
challenging
reflective
sad
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
2.25
eunicek82's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
fast-paced
2.0
I found the satire to be too heavy-handed. I understood what it was trying to say about the pervasiveness of white supremacy, but this book was not for me.
readherenow's review
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0