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A review by aalexander8
This Train Is Being Held by Ismée Williams
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
If you were going into this book thinking it would be light-hearted and fun, it isn’t. It does have its moments though.
The author uses common themes found in romance novels about two characters from different sides of the tracks: racism and/or racial injustice (particularly from police and other authority figures), classism, family expectations, and friendship woes, etc. But, she also attempts to tackle heavier topics related to mental illness, specifically bipolar disorder, internalized racism (chiefly Isa’s bigoted mother who is Cuban born, yet does not want her daughter to marry a Spanish-speaking person), and the psychological effects of systemic racism and code switching. My guy, Alex deals with this real bad.
That’s alot for a YA “meet cute-esque” romance. And consent issues aside with that whole kissing a random stranger bit, I still wanted to enjoy this book. Unfortunately, it wasn’t well executed and I found myself put off by the characterization of Alex and Isa.
At times it seemed that the author wanted the reader to view the main character Isa, a beautiful ballet dancer, as the ideal with her lighter features, blond hair, and sweet nature. While Alex, the good-natured brown-skinned Dominican American baseball player with a domineering father, is only legitimatized by his love of poetry and his desire to defer to the dominant culture. And why wouldn’t he, his neighborhood has gangs, and drug abusing fathers, and overly jealous and attitudinal girls who can be used as rebounds and slighted continuously but still expected to be in your corner during times of racial injustice (Justice for Kiara(sp?)!!
So…definitely not my favorite book I’ve listened to this year. It was mildly entertaining and I did manage to maintain my usual 1.5x speed.
The author uses common themes found in romance novels about two characters from different sides of the tracks: racism and/or racial injustice (particularly from police and other authority figures), classism, family expectations, and friendship woes, etc. But, she also attempts to tackle heavier topics related to mental illness, specifically bipolar disorder, internalized racism (chiefly Isa’s bigoted mother who is Cuban born, yet does not want her daughter to marry a Spanish-speaking person), and the psychological effects of systemic racism and code switching. My guy, Alex deals with this real bad.
That’s alot for a YA “meet cute-esque” romance. And consent issues aside with that whole kissing a random stranger bit, I still wanted to enjoy this book. Unfortunately, it wasn’t well executed and I found myself put off by the characterization of Alex and Isa.
At times it seemed that the author wanted the reader to view the main character Isa, a beautiful ballet dancer, as the ideal with her lighter features, blond hair, and sweet nature. While Alex, the good-natured brown-skinned Dominican American baseball player with a domineering father, is only legitimatized by his love of poetry and his desire to defer to the dominant culture. And why wouldn’t he, his neighborhood has gangs, and drug abusing fathers, and overly jealous and attitudinal girls who can be used as rebounds and slighted continuously but still expected to be in your corner during times of racial injustice (Justice for Kiara(sp?)!!
So…definitely not my favorite book I’ve listened to this year. It was mildly entertaining and I did manage to maintain my usual 1.5x speed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Police brutality
Moderate: Racism and Classism