A review by literaryintersections
Everything's Fine, by Cecilia Rabess
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I finished this a month ago. And I have no words for this book. Honestly. It is not only extremely offensive, it’s harmful. It’s underwritten. It’s underdeveloped. It’s fast paced at times but with unclear timelines. It is EXTREMELY triggering for Black people to read. And yet. And yet…..
Is the point of the book to show the fallacy of youth? To highlight that when we are young it’s easy to be taken by lust and good looks and gloss over the gas lighting, violence, and racism? Is it to show that everyone’s internal understanding of “fine” is different? Or that white mens belief that Trump’s racism and white supremacist rhetoric is not actually “that bad” and “everything will be fine” is harmful and scary and makes Black people question their every move? Is it about what actually makes someone Black, and what it means to “find” or “understand” your Blackness?
If it’s any of those things then this book completely misses the mark. Because none of that depth discussed above is actually in the book. Jess doesn’t change. She’s still a Black woman struggling to make it in a white world, while continually trying to separate herself from other Black people, including her family. Jess is part of the problem, but I don’t think she ever actually see it that way.
If it was about any of those topics or questions above, this book would’ve been a 5 star. But it never got there far. Never took a chance. Hides behind this “enemies to lovers” bullshit that’s actually harmful.
I wanted to enjoy this. I actually devoured it and read it so quickly. But it rarely goes deeper than the surface and ultimately could be a book where white folks can read it, feel good about themselves and say, “well Atleast I’m not Josh”. And that is going to be so harmful to Black folks.
Is the point of the book to show the fallacy of youth? To highlight that when we are young it’s easy to be taken by lust and good looks and gloss over the gas lighting, violence, and racism? Is it to show that everyone’s internal understanding of “fine” is different? Or that white mens belief that Trump’s racism and white supremacist rhetoric is not actually “that bad” and “everything will be fine” is harmful and scary and makes Black people question their every move? Is it about what actually makes someone Black, and what it means to “find” or “understand” your Blackness?
If it’s any of those things then this book completely misses the mark. Because none of that depth discussed above is actually in the book. Jess doesn’t change. She’s still a Black woman struggling to make it in a white world, while continually trying to separate herself from other Black people, including her family. Jess is part of the problem, but I don’t think she ever actually see it that way.
If it was about any of those topics or questions above, this book would’ve been a 5 star. But it never got there far. Never took a chance. Hides behind this “enemies to lovers” bullshit that’s actually harmful.
I wanted to enjoy this. I actually devoured it and read it so quickly. But it rarely goes deeper than the surface and ultimately could be a book where white folks can read it, feel good about themselves and say, “well Atleast I’m not Josh”. And that is going to be so harmful to Black folks.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Death of parent, and Racism
Moderate: Grief