A review by bethinohio
The Unsettled by Ayana Mathis
4.0
3.5⭐️
From the moment Ava Carson and her ten-year-old son, Toussaint, arrive at the Glenn Avenue family shelter in Philadelphia 1985, Ava is already plotting a way out. She is repulsed by the shelter's squalid conditions: their cockroach-infested room, the barely edible food, and the shifty night security guard. She is determined to rescue her son from the perils and indignities of that place, and to save herself from the complicated past that led them there.
Unsettled started strong but soon became a bit disjointed and meandering. It began as a very personal story about the spiraling effects of sudden poverty, providing a window into the many dehumanizing elements found in the system. What could have been an important social commentary then got lost as the story began to jump around in time, place, and perspective- at which point I became confused both on what was going on, and what the point was. Mixed feelings on this read.
Thank you Ayana Mathis, Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.
From the moment Ava Carson and her ten-year-old son, Toussaint, arrive at the Glenn Avenue family shelter in Philadelphia 1985, Ava is already plotting a way out. She is repulsed by the shelter's squalid conditions: their cockroach-infested room, the barely edible food, and the shifty night security guard. She is determined to rescue her son from the perils and indignities of that place, and to save herself from the complicated past that led them there.
Unsettled started strong but soon became a bit disjointed and meandering. It began as a very personal story about the spiraling effects of sudden poverty, providing a window into the many dehumanizing elements found in the system. What could have been an important social commentary then got lost as the story began to jump around in time, place, and perspective- at which point I became confused both on what was going on, and what the point was. Mixed feelings on this read.
Thank you Ayana Mathis, Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.