A review by tysbooks
Don't Cry for Me by Daniel Black

emotional reflective sad tense slow-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

4.0

I didn't know what to expect going into this, but I certainly didn't expect for this to be so deep. I viewed this as an apology letter from a father to a son. We have Jacob, the father, who we learn is dying from cancer, who decides to write a letter to his son, Isaac, to basically explain all of actions over the years. Jacob describes his upbringing, his relationship with Isaac's mother and why he had such a hard time accepting the fact that Isaac was gay. This book really touched on a lot but it primarily focused on the relationship that Jacob really wanted to have with Isaac and why he had a hard time accepting his sexuality. This book touched on bullying, double standards, abusive relationships, how people are a product of their environment and what it looked like to grow up in the 50's and 60's for black people. 

I liked how we saw Jacob grow throughout the course of the book and how remorseful he felt for how he treated his son, but there was a part towards the end where I felt like no matter how awful he was he still wanted someone to pat him on the back for the couple of nice things or fun moments he had with Isaac. This is really picky, but you can't tell someone else how to describe you or what to point out about you because to that person it might not be important. That just didn't sit well with me. I also wish we got at least one response from Isaac. It would have been really nice to see how the son truly felt about his father especially once Jacob revealed his remorse. All in all, I thought this was solid and would read from this author again.
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