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A review by katemc
You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- 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? Yes
3.75
I read this in one sitting last night, which I didn't expect.
I've now read Freshwater, Pet/Bitter, and this from Emezi- a wide range! I think the combination of what I'd previously read by them and the implied profundity of this title meant the first half was a bit underwhelming. Sort of surface level and without much internal plot propulsion.
The second half I found much more compelling - the reason I ended up not being able to put it down! It gave me a similar impression to Silas Marner by Eliot where the introduction of the MC's true object flips a switch in the plot and pacing (and in You Made, setting). It almost feels like an entirely different book - much richer, deeper, more complex. I trust Emezi enough to feel like this was entirely what they intended. It's unfortunate that the first half was still underwhelming, and I still didn't entirely feel that this lived up to the title ("your beauty" in large part seeming to be in a very literal sense, which I'd hope an author like Emezi would complicate more), but I found especially the second half to be messy, complicated, very fast paced, and more of what I expected.
I've now read Freshwater, Pet/Bitter, and this from Emezi- a wide range! I think the combination of what I'd previously read by them and the implied profundity of this title meant the first half was a bit underwhelming. Sort of surface level and without much internal plot propulsion.
The second half I found much more compelling - the reason I ended up not being able to put it down! It gave me a similar impression to Silas Marner by Eliot where the introduction of the MC's true object flips a switch in the plot and pacing (and in You Made, setting). It almost feels like an entirely different book - much richer, deeper, more complex. I trust Emezi enough to feel like this was entirely what they intended. It's unfortunate that the first half was still underwhelming, and I still didn't entirely feel that this lived up to the title ("your beauty" in large part seeming to be in a very literal sense, which I'd hope an author like Emezi would complicate more), but I found especially the second half to be messy, complicated, very fast paced, and more of what I expected.