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A review by frasersimons
Creatures of Passage by Morowa Yejidé
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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? It's complicated
4.0
This was somewhat slippery, in a few different ways, but quite an enjoyable experience, especially as the author narrating. Where so many authors simply should not ever be narrating their story, this author is pretty excellent.
It’s a pretty grim story, focusing on the many, many creatures of passage, which almost feels adjacent to magical realism, given how often the fiction normalizes unexplained supernatural perceptions of some of the cast. A medium who sees only specific details, sometimes more symbolic than anything; other times she sees specific details, just, for instance, the face of the person being blank. Or the main character driving a car with a kind of impulse taking her to people and places where they ought to be/go.
All of the people are marginalized, preyed upon, suffer ranges of trauma, and continue to go on with their lives. But the most dark area is a child predator creeping amongst them as they try to go on.
The prose are poetic and compelling, but do sometimes leave more subjective space for what is actually happening, which made me confused. It’s usually clarified, but not always. The ending was satisfying and brought into focus some of the slippery parts. I can see some people not making it that far, though.
It’s a pretty grim story, focusing on the many, many creatures of passage, which almost feels adjacent to magical realism, given how often the fiction normalizes unexplained supernatural perceptions of some of the cast. A medium who sees only specific details, sometimes more symbolic than anything; other times she sees specific details, just, for instance, the face of the person being blank. Or the main character driving a car with a kind of impulse taking her to people and places where they ought to be/go.
All of the people are marginalized, preyed upon, suffer ranges of trauma, and continue to go on with their lives. But the most dark area is a child predator creeping amongst them as they try to go on.
The prose are poetic and compelling, but do sometimes leave more subjective space for what is actually happening, which made me confused. It’s usually clarified, but not always. The ending was satisfying and brought into focus some of the slippery parts. I can see some people not making it that far, though.