Cross River is magic and home of Jesus and all His sons.

That is the first thing we learn about the fictional place set in Maryland, and over the course of the twelve short stories and almost-novellas that all play out in Cross River, we learn more and more of its myths: that women are mythical beings known as water women or just "woes", that the Riverbeat is its own special, almost divine form of music, that massive birds require human sacrifice, that you can turn to blue smoke and cease to exist if you're not doing it right.

But as much as this magic surrounds every person in this city, the protagonists of The World Doesn't Require You don't notice it, and when they do, they peg it to their detriment. These are deeply flawed, sometimes even unlikable characters, that blame the entire world for their own shortcomings. The fault may lie in God, or a woman, or perhaps both - but as much as they think they change themselves, the world doesn't adjust to their needs. In a quest of finding their own significance, enjoyment in an uncaring society, and in leaving their own mark, they find themselves alone, ostracized by society and themselves. And in this state, they resort to the only path left to them: destruction.

All the while, as the stories progress, Rion Amilcar Scott makes clear that the protagonists are unreliable themselves: it's no coincidence that the female characters gain dimension and evolve from a supporting role to their own complex characters that don't appreciate being boxed into the supporter/siren role, culminating in discussions of patriarchy and feminism that leaves the protagonist of the last almost-novella, Special Topics in Loneliness Studies, scathed and stripped naked.

The stories all feature Black characters: when white characters do appear, they tend to be racist in its full package. The story lines (for it would be wrong to call the connected stories as anything but as lines) of Little N***er Jim, which come closest to sci-fi, are a good example of this: the character is quite literally conceived to look like a racist stereotype, gets a language pack that taps into the racist stereotype, and is expected to perform for white people. Port Yooga, the white neighborhood closest to Cross River, is a dangerous location for all of the characters, and it never takes long to figure out why. Perhaps someone might find these depictions offensive - someone white, no doubt - but as racism affects non-white people and especially Black people, it is no doubt weaved with a hint of realism.

Rion Amilcar Scott weaves tales of loneliness and human connection with a truly magical prose, a sharp sense of humor, and a keen understanding of the human condition. This is an absolute must-read and one of the best books I've had the pleasure of reading this year. The less details you know of the short stories, the better: let the pages and the incredible prose wow you. I've sure tried to get all my reading friends to this story collection. Maybe this review will get them to it...

Fave short story: Special Topics of Loneliness Studies, N***er Knockers, The Temple of Practical Arts
Least fave: Numbers, A Loudness of Screechers