I really, really enjoyed my time reading this book. It is more than insightful, and deals with issues of race, gender identity, family ties, and relationships in a very well-rounded way. I found that Brit Bennett did an incredible job in telling this family’s story spanning multiple generations, which must be an extremely difficult thing to do. I found myself really caring for each character- sometimes denouncing their flaws, yet appreciating their good traits and where their thought process of each decision came from. I was worried that I'd have trouble following the story at the beginning, but as I got towards the middle it sped up a lot and I felt the pacing got much quicker and was well-done. I liked seeing stories told throughout generations and it still being beautifully and seamlessly done.
I especially loved Reese as a character, and was happy to see the respectful and well-written LGBTQ issues without making it a main focal point of his personality. I found that no matter which character we were following in the story, I wanted to know more about them and how their life has influenced their decisions. I believe everyone should read this book, it really opened my eyes to new perspectives on so many different issues- and explored the themes of internalized racism so deeply.
The reason I’m giving this 4 stars because I wish there were opportunities to dive even deeper into some of these characters, I really sought to know more about them and have more closure on Stella’s life and how she continues to live. The ending was a bit lackluster for me, I wished for a lot more- some kind of reckoning or more closure than what I got. All in all though, I think this story is an extremely important one and it makes sense why it's gotten so much praise.
Rating: 4 Stars
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