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A review by flightyrachel
The Reformatory by Tananarive Due
challenging
dark
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
What a great read. This is the epitome of a page turner in every sense... Some chapters were so tense and awful that I had to skim read and turn over quickly, but the plot and the wonderful child characters kept me absolutely gripped. I read this 500 page novel in two days!
This is a very dark book about the abuses of power within a community and specifically within a reform school. The author states that although the novel has a central villain (and he truly is terrible), the actual villain is the system of dehumanisation, embodied in the Jim Crow laws but still resonating today, which allows these abuses to take place. She makes this point very effectively through her plot and characters and it never feels exaggerated or forced. The ghosts are a great addition. I'm not a believer in the supernatural but she sets up a world in which spirits have agency and can interact with the living, and this concept holds up well throughout the novel and is vital to the plot.
Highly recommend this one.
This is a very dark book about the abuses of power within a community and specifically within a reform school. The author states that although the novel has a central villain (and he truly is terrible), the actual villain is the system of dehumanisation, embodied in the Jim Crow laws but still resonating today, which allows these abuses to take place. She makes this point very effectively through her plot and characters and it never feels exaggerated or forced. The ghosts are a great addition. I'm not a believer in the supernatural but she sets up a world in which spirits have agency and can interact with the living, and this concept holds up well throughout the novel and is vital to the plot.
Highly recommend this one.