Really tragic book. Important themes about racism and trauma. I appreciated the representation and messages related to the romance between a Latina giReally tragic book. Important themes about racism and trauma. I appreciated the representation and messages related to the romance between a Latina girl and a Black boy in the late 1930’s. But the book is very heavy and contains graphic depictions of childhood sexual abuse and physical beatings/racist violence so be warned.
The main reason I’m giving this book three stars is because unfortunately I didn’t find the characters’ voices very distinct from one another. So that made it hard for me to differentiate between them and stay invested in an immersed way. But I can see why others rated this book highly!...more
Unfortunately didn’t love this one. While I appreciate the themes about colonialist violence especially inflicted by the West, the main character’s inUnfortunately didn’t love this one. While I appreciate the themes about colonialist violence especially inflicted by the West, the main character’s internalized racism and obsession with white women was hard to stomach. I know that that might be the point, but even by the end of the book on page 296 he refers to himself as a “pig and ape” and to the white woman he’s obsessed with as a “flawless seraph” with “platinum long and full behind her back.” The main character’s outright negative views toward the Black women in his life was difficult to read too. Anyway, I thought the prose was okay – maybe people who aren’t as activated/triggered by outright internalized racism could enjoy this book more.
On a mostly tangential note, reading this book reminded me of Such a Lonely, Lovely Road by Kagiso Lesego Molope, a beautiful novel that also takes place in Africa that I would highly recommend!...more
Wanted to like this book for its important themes related to childhood trauma, female friendship, and poverty and societal marginalization. UnfortunatWanted to like this book for its important themes related to childhood trauma, female friendship, and poverty and societal marginalization. Unfortunately, I found the writing a bit all over the place, both in terms of the hard-to-follow dual points of view and the clunky dialogue. In sum, powerful messages marred by their difficult-to-understand delivery....more
I really liked this debut novel about a young Latina woman coming of age while navigating a complex relationship with a famous male author. On the senI really liked this debut novel about a young Latina woman coming of age while navigating a complex relationship with a famous male author. On the sentence level, Ursula Villarreal-Moura’s writing engaged me and kept me invested in the story. Villarreal-Moura tackles nuanced issues in this book, such as finding yourself represented in stories, harm and abuse that can occur within communities of color/marginalized communities, and creating oneself instead of letting your relationships with others define you. I appreciated how Villarreal-Moura incorporated subtle yet important commentary about the paucity of Latinx writers, too. I think this book will resonate with readers who are interested in examining relationships across power dynamics and differentials.
My only constructive critique is that I wish we had gotten even more about our protagonist, Tatum. I felt like the book focused a bit too much on her relationship with M. Domínguez, even though I know their relationship was central to the story. Still, I’m looking forward to reading more of Villarreal-Moura’s work....more
I liked and agreed with a lot of the feminist messages in this book: that male serial killers are often glorified and glamorized with little attentionI liked and agreed with a lot of the feminist messages in this book: that male serial killers are often glorified and glamorized with little attention paid toward female victims and survivors, that women are labeled as hysterical and overdramatic for their emotions, and that many men are complicit in rape culture even if they have not perpetrated a rape themselves. On a thematic level, I thus appreciated Bright Young Women for putting the women in these scenarios in the center of attention.
That said I found the writing on the sentence level quite monotonous and predictable, even though the topic itself is important. The book was thus a bit of a drag for me to get through. At the same time, I totally recognize and agree with what Jessica Knoll was trying to accomplish message-wise here....more
I enjoyed this novel about a Black musician whose violin gets stolen, leading into a whodunit blended with our protagonist’s backstory. I tho3.5 stars
I enjoyed this novel about a Black musician whose violin gets stolen, leading into a whodunit blended with our protagonist’s backstory. I thought Brendan Slocumb did an interesting job mixing the mystery/thriller genre with more of a literary fiction vibe. He writes honestly about our protagonist Ray’s love for his craft and the anti-Black racism he experiences along the way to achieve his dreams. I also appreciated Slocumb’s portrayal of the abuse Ray experienced from his family, especially the financial components. In the end I wouldn’t say the novel wow’ed me to the level of a five-star read – I thought the prose was okay to good and the blending of genres executed well but not amazingly. Still, the themes in The Violin Conspiracy are important and I’m glad Slocumb contributed his message to the world.
I'm a bit on the fence about whether to read Slocumb's second book. If you have feelings one way or the other feel free to share! ...more
I liked this book and feel that this debut author has potential. This short story collection Peacocks of Instagram follows several diasporic Indian woI liked this book and feel that this debut author has potential. This short story collection Peacocks of Instagram follows several diasporic Indian women as they navigate family, romantic relationships, and struggles in the workplace. Deepa Rajagopalan does a nice job of portraying these women as three-dimensional characters who have unique personalities and agency even as they navigate sexism in their day-to-day lives. My favorite stories were “Driving Lessons” and “Rahel,” where I felt that Rajagopalan captured a specific and poignant emotional landscape within the context of growing up and navigating leaving home.
It’s really hard to enthrall me with a short story so several of these stories communicated an important political message or an interesting idea about relationships, though didn’t leave an emotional impact. I think it’s rare for me to feel immersed in a short story so that’s perhaps more on the form than the writer’s ability. I was moved by a few of the stories, especially the couple I listed above, so I would be interested in reading this author’s debut novel when it comes out....more
Great musings and ideas about intergenerational trauma and loss, addiction, and art throughout this book. I enjoyed reading the perspective of Cyrus, Great musings and ideas about intergenerational trauma and loss, addiction, and art throughout this book. I enjoyed reading the perspective of Cyrus, our queer Iranian American protagonist. The first 50 to 100 pages of the book hooked me. However, by the middle of the book I was less enthused because the prose seemed unfocused and meandering to me. I didn’t mind all the different points of view as much as how they started to drag for me due to the floridness of the writing. Perhaps people who enjoy poetry more than I do will like the way this book is written more than I did....more
Oh wow, I loved this book. My Last Innocent Year takes place in the winter of 1998 and follows Isabel Rosen, a senior at the prestigious, wea4.5 stars
Oh wow, I loved this book. My Last Innocent Year takes place in the winter of 1998 and follows Isabel Rosen, a senior at the prestigious, wealthy, and elite Wilder College located in New Hampshire. Isabel comes from a working-class Jewish family that owns a Lower East Side appetizing store. Her senior year starts out tumultuously when Isabel is sexually assaulted by Zev, one of the only other Jewish students on campus. The emotional upheaval in Isabel’s life escalates when she meets R.H. Connelly, a once-famous poet and non-tenure-track professor who’s teaching Isabel’s competitive writing seminar this semester. Their affair sets the shaky foundation for a series of events that transcends Isabel’s individual life and speaks to the broader landscape of gender and power of that era – and I’d venture to say, our current era as well.
I first want to applaud the writing in this book. Daisy Alpert Florin’s prose was so, so good, and so readable. I feel like she captured the atmosphere of a wealthy liberal arts college so well, as well as that period in your early 20’s where everything feels so intense and important. I found myself immersed in Isabel’s perspective in a way I haven’t felt since I read Ghosts by Dolly Alderton in February (though the two books are very different.) I was enraptured; I stayed up last night finishing the book and only got three hours of quality sleep, though it was worth it (the sleep thing may have also had to do with me drinking a Sprite right before going to bed but, whatever.) The scenes, the dialogue, Isabel’s internal reflection and the retrospective narration – I loved it.
I also appreciated the subtle yet prominent commentary about men’s mistreatment of women and the (white) feminism of the late 90’s. I thought Florin captured Isabel’s initial reactions and timidity around men so well, even when we as readers may be screaming and sighing in disdain as we witness what unfolds. Thanks to Florin’s high quality prose, the messages didn’t come across in a heavy-handed or distracting way. I also liked how Florin captured the shades of grey in certain relationships and situations, though of course not in a way that condones sexual assault or patriarchal violence. There were some elements related to female friendship that I liked and wished could have been more developed, but I didn’t feel annoyed about this enough to rate this book lower.
Finally, I loved Isabel’s growth arc. I appreciated the subtleness of it, how we see her develop some confidence though not in a particularly easy or linear fashion. This style of characterization felt keenly realistic to me, like how many of us learn about ourselves little by little as life unfolds, in a journey that doesn’t stop.
I’m rounding this one up to five stars because it’s one of the best books I’ve read this year. I also liked the very implicit, maybe-not-even-there-but-I-read-it-as critique of Zionism/those who support it. Ugh, I want more people to read this book so I can discuss it with folks, especially Isabel’s relationship with Connelly which was wild (also he turned out to be such a… well… I’ll let you read it and draw your own conclusion.) I’m hoping for more books of this quality in 2024!...more
Three stars feels a bit generous but, anyway, I thought this book was just okay. It follows the wealthy white Stockton family and three specific womenThree stars feels a bit generous but, anyway, I thought this book was just okay. It follows the wealthy white Stockton family and three specific women within this family: Darly, the oldest daughter who was born with money but gave it up when she married her wealthy but not as wealthy husband, Sasha, who grew up middle class and married into the Stockton family, and Georgiana, the youngest daughter who works at a nonprofit and may develop a conscience about whether she should keep her trust fund or not. The three navigate romantic, financial, and familial conflicts throughout the book.
To start with the positive, I thought this book was mildly entertaining. I wouldn’t say the writing was of super high quality or the plot was one of the most immersive I’ve read this year, but I wasn’t bored reading it, could tell our three main protagonists apart from one another, and discerned that each of the three did have recognizable growth arcs by the end of the book. The cover and popularity of the book motivated me to read it and I didn’t hate the book.
Still, I found the book on a whole rather average. As stated earlier the writing wasn’t remarkable even though it wasn’t awful either. The characters all grew, but not in particularly groundbreaking ways. The book on a whole was predictable, though perhaps that’s the intended vibe. The one major thing I had issue with, which is why three stars feels generous, is that one of the characters decides to become a philanthropist by the end of the novel and the author doesn’t really acknowledge the problematic elements of rich white people engaging in philanthropy. The author seems to frame this character’s philanthropy as unilaterally positive, which ignores the white savior elements of a white woman still having the power to dictate what money goes to where and more, instead of thinking more critically about mutual aid, redistribution of wealth on a broader scale, etc. It was alright! I wouldn’t recommend it necessarily but if you want a very casual book to pass the time, Pineapple Street may work....more
I thought this book did a great job of portraying the racist bind that Black writers and artists find themselves in when society wants to con3.5 stars
I thought this book did a great job of portraying the racist bind that Black writers and artists find themselves in when society wants to consume anti-Black caricatures of Black people instead of three-dimensional representations of Black people. My lower rating may stem from a genre mismatch; while Percival Everett takes a satirical approach to Erasure, I wanted to read even more about our main character’s feelings about his relationships, especially his familial relationships. There were initial themes of grief, loss, and disconnection within one’s family and close relationships that I wish we could have read about in more depth. Still, Everett drives the overarching message of this book home and I hope it inspires us all to think critically about which media we enjoy and why we enjoy it....more
Gina Chung writes messy Korean Americans characters so well! Up until the last story I was expecting to give this collection three stars overall (3.5 Gina Chung writes messy Korean Americans characters so well! Up until the last story I was expecting to give this collection three stars overall (3.5 rounded down), but the last story “The Love Songs of the Mexican Free-Tailed Bat” really moved me and won me over. I also enjoyed “The Sound of Water” and “The Arrow.” In these stories, Chung does an excellent job of portraying Korean Americans navigating difficult family dynamics and challenging emotions. I loved the range of these stories, Chung’s creativity in engineering these life circumstances, like a woman whose bat-owning father recently passed away, a younger sibling who sacrificed his swimming ambitions to take care of his family, and a woman who unexpectedly falls pregnant which further unexpectedly starts to heal her tumultuous relationship with her mother. As a somewhat uptight Vietnamese American myself, I loved that how Chung gives permission for Asian American adults to be dysfunctional and to feel a kaleidoscope of feelings, but not in an overly contrived way. Finally, I appreciate that Chung writes Korean American adult characters in their late 20s and early to mid-30s, selfishly because I’m turning 29 in five days haha.
I didn’t really enjoy the fantastical stories in this collection because that’s not my wheelhouse, though I liked when Chung blended speculative fiction elements into her more literary stories (though the purely realistic fiction ones were my favorite). I also felt that several stories in this collection were more in the three-star range for me, though mostly because I wanted them to be longer so I could get even more invested in the characters, which may not be a fair critique if some of these stories were capped by a page or word limit. Overall, Chung’s prose does feel memorable and striking, and even in the stories I didn’t fall in love with I was entertained and wanted to know more.
It's relatively hard for a short story collection to get four stars or above from me so that speaks to the strength of the standout stories in this collection. Sea Change, Chung’s debut novel, was my absolute favorite book of 2023 and I’m excited to read more of her work moving forward....more
Very mixed feelings on this book, more like a 2.5 rounded to a 3. I’ll start with what I liked, which is that I think Rachel Khong did a nice job of sVery mixed feelings on this book, more like a 2.5 rounded to a 3. I’ll start with what I liked, which is that I think Rachel Khong did a nice job of showing how parents both do their best with and fail their children. It was interesting and engaging to read about how children interpreted their parents’ “failures” across multiple generations and the extent to which children choose how to engage with their parents: to be similar, to be different, to have contact, to have no contact, and all that’s in between. I found the second part of the book the most compelling and was hooked on Nick’s coming-of-age story. In this section of Real Americans I found the prose particularly appealing; in part 2 Khong’s writing had me pretty hooked, as well as in part 3 though to a lesser extent.
What I really did not love about this novel was just… the complicity in whiteness and white supremacy. Ugh. It always disappoints me when I write about this in relation to Asian American writers’ work. But the overwhelming entrenchment in whiteness in this novel just bothered me so much. In fact, reading part 1 of the book, I was so annoyed I was sure I was going to give this book two stars, which speaks to how parts 2 and 3 redeemed it enough for me to round to three.
What I didn’t love in part one of the book was the main character’s unresolved, unaddressed desire for whiteness and white men, as well as her self-dislike of her Asian traits. Here’s part of a specific passage, where she writes about herself in relation to her white male romantic partner:
“When he held me I looked, instinctively, to our reflection. It was like pressing a bruise, wanting to see if the pain lingered. I wanted to see how contradictory we were, as a pair, the difference of our physical bodies: him blond, built, tall; me with my plain black hair and average height and face that didn’t look good, I believed, unless I wore makeup. It was a face that made people ask: Where are you from?”
I was just like… omg, yikes. And I get that some Asian American people struggle with internalized racism, I get it, but this dynamic of glorifying white men (e.g., implying that being blond and tall are attractive traits, describing her own Asian features as “plain”) does not get addressed in any meaningful way in the book. There are also several passages in part 1 that directly name how the main character and her Asian friends all choose to date white men, but then that pattern is also never addressed in any thorough or thoughtful way. So that was highly disappointing.
I also really questioned the author’s intentions related to racial justice and alignment with white beauty standards during a specific moment in part 2 of the book. In part 2, we follow Nick Chen, who starts off as a senior in high school and we follow him into his college years. Even though he’s part-Chinese, he passes as a white man. I actually found Nick a sympathetic and three-dimensional character and enjoyed reading about him. However, there’s an odd passage in the book where Khong basically writes about Nick’s white-passing privilege as if he’s oppressed by it? I understand that biracial/multiracial people have unique experiences of oppression, but this passage was more about like… Nick basically feeling sorry for himself that he looks white because his ex-girlfriend was annoyed at his racial privilege (which he does have) and Khong implying that we should feel sympathy for tall blond white men, even though we’re already socialized within the United States to view these people as attractive? Idk, it was weird in a negative way and didn’t sit right with me.
Anyway, this book is titled Real Americans but it was more like… Chinese Americans navigate intergenerational (mis)communications while spending a lot of time with white people. Some parts I liked and others I really didn’t. I’ll also just leave some novels I’ve really enjoyed over the past few years by Asian women with three-dimensional Asian female characters whose lives don’t revolve around whiteness: Yolk by Mary Choi, Sea Change by Gina Chung, and Late Bloomers by Deepa Varadarajan. I’ll also recommend Disorientation by Elaine Hsieh Chou that takes a more racial justice-oriented approach to matters of Asian Americans and internalized racism....more
An interconnected set of short stories about Palestinian Americans living in Baltimore, Maryland. The first few stories dragged for me; I did3.5 stars
An interconnected set of short stories about Palestinian Americans living in Baltimore, Maryland. The first few stories dragged for me; I didn’t feel like the characters were well-developed or that the stories accomplished an emotional arc by their conclusion. I agree with this review about Susan Muaddi Darraj’s writing perhaps perpetuating some stereotypes related to Arab men.
However, the stories in the second half of the book won me over much more. I felt like they captured how classism and racist manifest within the Palestinian American community, while also thoughtfully portraying nuanced Palestinian American female characters. My favorite two stories from the collection were “Behind You Is the Sea” and “Gyroscopes.” I’m looking forward to continuing to read Palestinian authors!...more
Pleasantly surprised by how much I ended up liking this book! When We Were Friends follows Fern, who was best friends with Jessica when they were in hPleasantly surprised by how much I ended up liking this book! When We Were Friends follows Fern, who was best friends with Jessica when they were in high school. They shared their deepest and darkest secrets with one another, slept over at each other’s places and had fun silly times together, and talked about school and boys and their parents. But Jessica did something that betrayed Fern’s trust so Fern cut her off. Ten years later, Fern works as a writer and an aspiring mental health counselor, when Jessica reemerges out of the blue. They start to rekindle their friendship, but can Fern trust Jessica after what happened in their shared past?
I will start with some of what I didn’t like about the book before moving onto the positives. I found the writing style kind of clunky, especially the first 50% or so of the book – the characters’ jokes felt a bit forced, some dialogue came across as awkward, and I couldn’t really fully immerse myself in Holly Bourne’s prose. I was definitely leaning toward three stars for a large portion of my reading experience.
But, around the 65% mark, something about this book really clicked for me. Part of it I think was the suspense of whether Fern and Jessica would be able to actually form a friendship again. I also felt like Bourne’s writing came across as more authentic in the latter half of the book. Finally, several of the book’s themes came together toward the end. Throughout the novel Fern is obsessed with the male gaze and what men think of her, and there’s also an emphasis throughout the novel of the casual violence and degrading ways boys and men treat women. While the delivery of those ideas didn’t feel 100% skilled in the first half of the book, Bourne really did make the feminist commentary about sexual violence and female friendship come through by the end of the novel. I was impressed by how she wrote about Fern and Jessica’s friendship and the ways they were both able to mature and grow.
Overall, if the story sounds interesting to you I’d recommend. I think there could have been a bit more unpacking of the male gaze theme (something that is unfortunately super prevalent in the gay male scene too), though I respect and appreciate Bourne’s overall commitment to her feminist message in this novel. Other friendship-focused novels I’ve liked included When You Were Everything by Ashley Woodfolk and We Used to be Friends by Amy Spalding!...more
What a messy, entertaining, yet sometimes quite deep book! I liked this novel about three white gay men more than I thought I would. Ways and Means foWhat a messy, entertaining, yet sometimes quite deep book! I liked this novel about three white gay men more than I thought I would. Ways and Means follows Allistair McCabe, a young, conventionally attractive gay college student who’s goal is to get a lot of money. But when his ambitious plans for a high-rolling banking job don’t work out, he turns to shady work for an enigmatic billionaire who’s motivations are much darker than they may initially seem. Meanwhile, Allistair’s lovers, an older couple named Mark and Elijah, are facing troubles of their own – Mark is at the end of his trust fund and takes a job with his father’s immoral business, and Elijah turns to similarly unsavory work to keep himself afloat amidst his failing relationship with Mark. These three men’s lives twist and intertwine in searing, sexual, and fearsome ways that eventually come to a satisfying climax.
What I liked most about this book was its commentary about growing up poor and intergenerational financial trauma. I skimmed an interview from Daniel Lefferts awhile ago and it seems that he wrote Allistair’s perspective at least a bit from his own experience of not having much money growing up. I found Allistair’s obsession with money – especially in the context of his father’s death and witnessing his mother’s poverty – well-written and emotionally convincing. I also enjoyed how Allistair, Mark, and Elijah all grew as characters. Even though I did find Lefferts’s writing a bit intellectualized at times, to me each of these characters did have a well-earned and meaningful development arc.
I also found the plot and the writing rather thrilling (and even downright scary) in parts. I don’t really see anyone pegging this book as a thriller and I probably wouldn’t either, though there was a suspense element that kept me on my toes. Lefferts’s writing is high quality enough that I felt immersed in the story. I rolled my eyes a bit at the preponderance of messaging about fit, athletic, slim bodies, though I suppose that this messaging was realistic given the intense body dysmorphia and fatphobia in the gay male community.
Overall, I didn’t love this book, but I did enjoy it and think it has interesting themes related to class and queerness. I’m curious what my book club will think!...more
A cute and pleasant story about two queer siblings in New Zealand figuring out their love lives. I liked the thoughtful representation of OCD, the porA cute and pleasant story about two queer siblings in New Zealand figuring out their love lives. I liked the thoughtful representation of OCD, the portrayal of a wholesome sibling dynamic, and some deeper commentary about how past generations affect the present. I didn’t love the story because I found the writing style hard to get into. First, I felt like Greta’s perspective was almost trying too hard to come across as Fleabag-esque and quirky, which pulled me out of the narrative. Also, within the dialogue, there were some really long speaking turns that were either used to convey information or for a character to engage in an in-depth monologue. I also found these elements of the dialogue distracting. Overall, I thought this book was okay but it wouldn’t be the first I’d recommend....more
I think this book has some powerful themes related to gendered violence and trauma and how these dark experiences can shape our behaviors, both in relI think this book has some powerful themes related to gendered violence and trauma and how these dark experiences can shape our behaviors, both in relationships with others and toward ourselves. However, I found the execution of Hurricane Girl extremely lacking. The main character has a flat affect that I found grating, not because it made me judge the main character but more because it came across as a gimmick from the author instead of a genuine protagonist’s voice. The plot didn’t really go anywhere either; it just seemed like several events stacked on top of one another. In sum, I wish I had nicer things to say but I found the book boring and confusing and I’m thus hoping for a better read next....more
I hate to say it but this may be the worst book I’ve read in years.
It follows a mixed-race, half-Black, half-white woman who’s about to marry a whiteI hate to say it but this may be the worst book I’ve read in years.
It follows a mixed-race, half-Black, half-white woman who’s about to marry a white man. With their wedding coming up, our protagonist Layla realizes that her fiancé’s ancestors likely enslaved Layla’s in Jamaica. Layla goes on a guilt trip about what this means for her and Andy’s relationship.
I’m actually seething as I type this out so let me try to express myself clearly. I was intrigued by this book’s premise and thought, okay, a book that questions romantic relationships with white people, I dig it, let’s see how this goes. But I felt that Phoebe McIntosh did a horrible job of addressing this topic.
I think my main overwhelming frustration with this novel is how Layla, our light-skinned, biracial protagonist, treats her best friend, Sera, a monoracial dark-skinned Black woman. I’ll start with one just absolutely wild incident. At one point in the novel Sera comments on a Twitter video that shows a Black male teenager getting harassed by white police offers. Then, Andy, Layla’s fiancée, comments and “corrects” Sera (he literally says “But worth pointing out – stats show S&S effective at keeping us safe. And don’t forget, plenty of white people get stopped too!”) Sera tells him that his voice isn’t needed, which, totally true.
What’s maddening about this incident is that Layla literally gets angry at her friend Sera for calling out Andy???? Why are you going to get mad at your Black friend for calling out your mediocre white husband for making an unnecessary (and actually racist, colorblind, ignorant) comment on a video about police being anti-Black??? I was bewildered because Layla never even apologies to Sera for her behavior. Layla does bring this incident up with Andy and Andy somewhat takes accountability, which Layla pretty much immediately accepts and forgives him for – meanwhile never even thinking about the labor Sera had to put in to call Andy out for his racism in the first place.
This dynamic between Layla and Sera is continued throughout the book. Layla basically blames Sera for making her feel guilty instead of truly seeing where Sera is coming from. Layla also has this weird reflection about how yes, Sera has faced more discrimination than Layla (it’s implied that Layla recognizes this is because of Sera’s darker skin tone), but Layla then pulls a “if only she could see that I’ve suffered too as a biracial woman.” I’m not minimizing that biracial people face unique forms of racism and alienation but I thought it was just atrocious that Layla continued to center herself. Sera goes through a breakup during the book and Layla never even asks about it or extends Sera care – Layla is just upset that Sera won’t wholeheartedly accept her marriage to a mediocre white man. And McIntosh essentially communicates that Layla’s behavior and mindset is acceptable. Just maddening.
Finally, I thought the dynamic between Layla and Andy was awful to read about. I feel like McIntosh’s messaging was essentially, as long as you name some race dynamics and you love one another, past historical systems of oppression don’t matter. Like wtf??? Andy literally never took accountability for his treatment of Sera and acts like he’s a victim (which is ironic given that Andy is a white man and Sera is a Black woman). Neither Layla nor Andy actually took any action to address the systems of injustice, anti-Black racism, etc. that affect those around them. The message was basically “you love who you love and that’s what matters at the end of the day” with no real critical thinking about the politics of desire, how white people are unjustly glorified in media (including this book itself), how people of color are denigrated and viewed as unattractive compared to white people, etc.
I’d truly not recommend this book, not even as a hate read. I feel like it appeals to white people and people of color who don’t want to think critically about how race and issues of racial justice affect their relationships. And for people who think their friends don’t matter to them that much. Also, the writing was not memorable or impressive. Anyway, I’ll end this review with some books I’ve loved over the years with people of color thriving in relationships with themselves and other people of color: Such a Lonely, Lovely Road by Kagiso Lesego Molope, Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal, and Picture Us in the Light by Kelly Loy Gilbert....more
I liked this short story collection about Black women living in West Texas struggling with generational poverty, dysfunctional relationships, and struI liked this short story collection about Black women living in West Texas struggling with generational poverty, dysfunctional relationships, and structural and interpersonal racism. I found LaToya Watkins’s writing realistic and that she used a consistent voice throughout these stories. My rating perhaps reflects my difficulty with short story collections; I just checked, and of the past 20 short story collections I’ve read, I’ve only given one four stars (the rest three stars or fewer). This collection fell into the three-star category because I wanted more of a complete emotional arc from at least a few of the stories – to me they felt like snapshots that could have been developed more or more fully rounded. As with any rating or judgment of art though that may just be a me thing....more
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