A review by raethereviewer
Land of Love and Drowning by Tiphanie Yanique

challenging dark emotional informative slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Trigger warning for incest (a lot of it)

I read this for my Creative Writing course since I’m studying Tiphanie Yanique’s writing for my thesis project. I wish I'd known about the incest beforehand. It does play an important role in the novel but it was jarring to read in the first fifty pages. And there are multiple instances of incest throughout the novel.

Aside from the incest, the story is very layered and I enjoyed the imagery. Yanique's writing style is very lyrical, which is something I personally enjoy. There's also a lot of lore and mysticism in the novel.

I loved learning about the history of the Virgin Islands. It's interesting to see how these islands have such a rich history, but they're just seen as "tourist destinations" from those that don't live there.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings