This was a necessary read that I might never have known existed!
I borrowed this audiobook from the library because lately I'm into anything Alex Kydd This was a necessary read that I might never have known existed!
I borrowed this audiobook from the library because lately I'm into anything Alex Kydd narrates. But this was such an excellent book, and I can't believe I hadn't heard of it sooner!
All The Better Part of Me was a sweet, sexy, heartbreaking, and hopeful novel about bisexuality and growing up. Queer representation is present in a beautiful variety of forms. The novel dissects gender stereotypes and normalizes rejecting those stereotypes even when extremely difficult (Fiona's relationship with motherhood especially struck me as important and underrepresented, although her situation was by far not the only important and underrepresented one).
One of the most valuable books on racial relations in the U.S. that I've read. Unique and compelling writing on a difficult topic. One of the most valuable books on racial relations in the U.S. that I've read. Unique and compelling writing on a difficult topic. ...more
Mainstream lit definitely needs more Aiden Thomases. This was such a fun and captivating novel. Avi Roque does an excellent job narrating the audiobooMainstream lit definitely needs more Aiden Thomases. This was such a fun and captivating novel. Avi Roque does an excellent job narrating the audiobook. I am so happy that the current generation of young people will get to grow up reading books like this.
What really makes this book shine is its execution. Almost all of characters came across as complex and fully developed. Yadriel, Maritza, and Julian were distinct and AMAZING; I loved each of them. Vibrant details bring the LA Latinx world to life. Thomas's characters come from different backgrounds, and live different lives, offering representation that is still critically needed in mainstream lit, especially YA.
However, the reason I gave this book 4 stars and not 5 is because I wasn't sure who the intended audience was. The main characters are 16-ish and in high school, but I felt that the narration style and the plot's predictability were geared more towards a tween audience (13-14). Maybe that's intentional! Honestly, I think this would be a fantastic book for any young person, teen or tween. But it threw me off a little....more
**spoiler alert** Glad I switched from audiobook to ebook so I could take more time with this. The audiobook was a little too fast-paced for me. Readi**spoiler alert** Glad I switched from audiobook to ebook so I could take more time with this. The audiobook was a little too fast-paced for me. Reading the ebook I noticed more details, the subtle omens obscured by overt foreshadowing.
Jones' writing is intentional and sharp-witted. Every prop gun in this book goes off--every seemingly inconsequential detail later plays a pivotal role in the book. Horror exists as a palpable presence right from the start of this book, building and subsiding as the story progresses. Some scenes are quite grim, even nauseating. This brand of horror--fusing real anxiety and the supernatural--is one of the most potent and terrifying styles in my opinion (think Hereditary). Routine activities and concerns escalate into horrific acts and events.
Insanity vs. reality is a key theme in this book. The reader has to question whether the narrator actually is unreliable or not. To this end, the novel's pace is purposefully disorienting, mundanity accelerating into high intensity scenes and then falling abruptly back to a slower pace. Narration changes (from third to second person, narrative to newspaper clippings) also contribute to a shaky sense of reality. The main characters have distinct voices, each of their stories so absorbing that they lull the reader back to a false sense safety after intense anxiety and action-packed scenes.
One thing that makes this story particularly unnerving is that the "scary thing" is not identified, not named as a "known" entity (like a demon or monster). The readers and characters guess what she is but they don't actually know and the uncertainty adds to the fear.
This ambiguity, the inability to differentiate reality from fabrication, is another big theme in the novel. Jones leaves a lot of unanswered questions and room for interpretation. For example, is Shaney Shaney or is she Po'noka? Have they always been the same? Was Shaney just Shaney until she died? Why is it important that Shaney belongs to a different tribe?
I felt like the book scrutinized what it means to be a "real Indian" or a "good" Indian. Most people will recognize the reference to the saying, "The only good Indians are dead ones." And the literal message is definitely important in this novel. But Jones' seems to be saying more than that in the title.
This question shows up in the main characters' feelings of inadequacy. Each seems to express idea that, "There are things real Indians do; I don't do those things." In this way, colonizer-settler forced cultural distance lurks in this story's background
This conviction is what sparks the novel's central conflict--elk hunting season is nearly over and the four men haven't bagged an elk. "Real/good Indians" provide for the tribe. The characters are trying to prove their worth and live up to the cultural expectations they've set for themselves. And then, after the slaughter , the consequence is that they are no longer permitted to hunt on the reservation, taking away yet another cultural connection.
On a related note, oral history and inherited knowledge is another major theme. The elks' offspring remember the train and the Thanksgiving Classic. Ricky and Lewis's deaths pass from character to character. As Denorah faces Shaney on the basketball court, she imagines it as a epic battle and jokingly foretells its future legends, not knowing how close she likely is to the truth.
There is so much to this book that this review could probably go on forever. TL;DR The Only Good Indians is an incredible, both as a horror novel and generally as literature, and I highly recommend....more
Damn, this book is going to be hard to top. I'm almost sad I finished it! Perfection.Damn, this book is going to be hard to top. I'm almost sad I finished it! Perfection....more
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