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mayo_bucket's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
missj's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
lovelykd's review against another edition
4.0
I opted to sit with this book awhile before deciding to write a review.
Prior to reading this work, I had never heard of Rion Amilcar Scott, nor had I any knowledge of his debut Insurrections. The book was chosen for its cover--which is absolutely captivating--and its blurb: I was intrigued by the concept of a generation of people with an enduring connection to a place like Cross River; a place that is, of course, fictional, but one that also inspires a curious sort of mindset.
Let me tell you, this is not the sort of book you pick up on a whim and read. You need to be in the mood for it; a fact I discovered very shortly into the first story: the one about God's last son.
After reading it, I walked away for a day, before reading the next story, because I felt overwhelmed by the messages. I needed someone to talk to about what I'd read and see if they understood it the same or, perhaps, interpreted it altogether differently.
This is a work that offers an experience and so much of that experience is subjective. It would be an injustice to interpret the stories because you truly need to read them for yourself.
What I can say is there will be people who rate it low for its abstraction and others who'll opt out because it's such a dense read. I admittedly thought of doing the latter because of how overwhelmed I felt; like I needed a guide to walk me through each story and point out what may have been lost in my own translation.
I suggest reading this with a friend. There's so much discussion worthy material within this collection.
This is particularly true where the last story is concerned--it takes up over half the book--as I found it had a lot to say about the academic world, and how it treats its professors and students, at the collegiate level.
If you like a challenge, and can appreciate receiving it in a manner that may cause some mild discomfort, then this book is for you.
Just be sure you're ready to give it the proper amount of your attention and don't jump ship before you've given it time to truly set its course.
Thank you to Edelweiss+ and Liveright Books for the opportunity to read and review this Advanced eGalley. Opinion is my own and was not influenced.
Prior to reading this work, I had never heard of Rion Amilcar Scott, nor had I any knowledge of his debut Insurrections. The book was chosen for its cover--which is absolutely captivating--and its blurb: I was intrigued by the concept of a generation of people with an enduring connection to a place like Cross River; a place that is, of course, fictional, but one that also inspires a curious sort of mindset.
Let me tell you, this is not the sort of book you pick up on a whim and read. You need to be in the mood for it; a fact I discovered very shortly into the first story: the one about God's last son.
After reading it, I walked away for a day, before reading the next story, because I felt overwhelmed by the messages. I needed someone to talk to about what I'd read and see if they understood it the same or, perhaps, interpreted it altogether differently.
This is a work that offers an experience and so much of that experience is subjective. It would be an injustice to interpret the stories because you truly need to read them for yourself.
What I can say is there will be people who rate it low for its abstraction and others who'll opt out because it's such a dense read. I admittedly thought of doing the latter because of how overwhelmed I felt; like I needed a guide to walk me through each story and point out what may have been lost in my own translation.
I suggest reading this with a friend. There's so much discussion worthy material within this collection.
This is particularly true where the last story is concerned--it takes up over half the book--as I found it had a lot to say about the academic world, and how it treats its professors and students, at the collegiate level.
If you like a challenge, and can appreciate receiving it in a manner that may cause some mild discomfort, then this book is for you.
Just be sure you're ready to give it the proper amount of your attention and don't jump ship before you've given it time to truly set its course.
Thank you to Edelweiss+ and Liveright Books for the opportunity to read and review this Advanced eGalley. Opinion is my own and was not influenced.
lydthekid's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
washed_guapi_lee's review against another edition
4.25
Black Surrealism at it's finest.
I need to reread some of these soon.
I need to reread some of these soon.
manguar's review against another edition
challenging
funny
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
3.0
mccanizales's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
singem1's review against another edition
4.0
Read this book. Seriously. This set of short stories is nothing short of amazing and are all set in a the same fictional location just in different times. I loved that there was that connection and the author creates these characters that you get to know, and want to know even more after each story ends!! I kept wanting more, and trying to figure out what may have happened in some, but that's the point, right? Good authors leave you wanting more sometimes, but that's the fun in it all. If you like quick short story reads, grab this one. You don't need to remember everything from the story before, but will hopefully see how they all do connect.
skmiles's review against another edition
3.0
A hauntingly strange collection. All part of the same fictional town of Cross River, the stories here are equal parts magical realism, fantasy, historical fiction and deeply personal prose. The two parts sit... Unusually together and make it challenging to understand as a unit, at times. Nonetheless, a compelling set of stories.
rsinclair6536's review against another edition
2.0
After seeing Mr. Scott at the Texas Book Festival where he was insightful and articulate about his own work and the state of modern short stories, and after sampling the many positive reviews posted here, I still feel disappointed with this story collection. To me it was mostly style with little substance. Sentences often seemed to be much ado about very little. I get that loneliness is universal, but what of it? The much-praised novella portion seemed like a too-easy and superficial send up of academia -- more like the complaints and fantasies of a weary grad student than a perceptive take down. And while race is prominent in some of the earlier stories, it's nearly lost in the novella's focus on loneliness. I need to grow more as a reader of work on the more experimental end of the spectrum, so maybe I'll revisit this as I mature.