A review by cassreading
At the Full & Change of the Moon by Dionne Brand
- 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? It's complicated
3.5
This is the first Dionne Brand book I've ever given less than five stars, and it's the first non-poetry book I've read from her. The novel is a multi-generational saga, with each chapter focusing on a different descendent of a slave who staged a mass suicide at a plantation. These descendants are drug addicts and scammers and mothers and sex workers and lovers; Brand breathes life into their complexity with her usual graceful and violently gripping writing. The book is about the spectre of slavery, of ties that bind even (especially) when people are unaware of their attachments.
However, some characters and narratives were more compelling than others, and I felt like she struggled to cohere the constantly shifting points of view. As soon as I loved a character, or hated or was fascinated by a character, they moved to the background; this is a problem since much of the book is based on character introspection, unlike other multi-generational novels (thinking 100 Years of Solitude, though that might be an unfair comparison for anyone). It read like a short story collection rather than a multi-generational saga, despite the callbacks. It was less enjoyable than Brand's poetry for me.
However, some characters and narratives were more compelling than others, and I felt like she struggled to cohere the constantly shifting points of view. As soon as I loved a character, or hated or was fascinated by a character, they moved to the background; this is a problem since much of the book is based on character introspection, unlike other multi-generational novels (thinking 100 Years of Solitude, though that might be an unfair comparison for anyone). It read like a short story collection rather than a multi-generational saga, despite the callbacks. It was less enjoyable than Brand's poetry for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery
Moderate: Suicide