A review by brotestantethic
Brutes by Dizz Tate

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Best read of the year so far. I’m not understanding why other reviews say this book doesn’t have a plot. It can be a bit confusing and separated, but there is a clear plot. Brutes is honest to the primal wants of the thirteen year old girl. I loved how the girls moved in a pack, “we” being the primary pronoun used throughout the book besides
in the characters’ future spotlights and during Jody’s assault.
The use of we and then lack thereof is central to the novel’s themes of sameness and apartness. 

This is a book about surviving written for survivors of violence. The most gutting and realistic depiction of retaliatory anger lives in
Britney’s chapter, pages 117 to 127. I was then surprised to find it was Jody in the room at the end. There’s a lot of inconsistencies like that, such as what Mia tells Christian about paying for the services, which contributes further to the morphed perspective many survivors have after an event.
 

I was not surprised to learn Tate grew up in Florida. The text reads like a conflicted love letter to her hometown. There are some truly beautiful disgusting descriptions of the Floridian landscape.

Ending will take some time to digest, for sure!
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