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Stories from the Tenants Downstairs by Sidik Fofana
In this wonderfully polyphonic collection of short stories, Sidik Fofana explores the everyday realities and struggles experienced by the Black residents of a high-rise in Harlem. The unrelenting push of gentrification and the looming threat of eviction sees this cast of characters struggling to keep up with their rents and to stay afloat. As they…
3.5 STARS, Adult, America, AMERICAN AUTHOR, Black & Black heritage authors, class, collection of short stories, Contemporary, conversational style, different styles (1st/2nd/3rd povs), gay side characters, gritty realism, Harlem, interconnected stories, lgbtq+ side, male authors, morality, NEW YORK, no quotations marks, place as character, Poverty, PRIVILEGE, published in 2022, RACE, read in 2023, short stories, Sidik Fofana, social issues, Stories from the Tenants Downstairs, strong sense of place, survival, work culture -
The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle
“Every time I was around them, they acted like I was a monster. So I said goddamnit, I’ll be the worst monster you ever saw!” This novella takes place in 1920s New York. Charles Thomas Tester is a bit of a ‘hustler’ who sings and plays his guitar on the streets even if he isn’t…
1920s, 20th century, 3 STARS, 3rd pov, Adult, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, Black & Black heritage authors, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, FANTASY, Harlem, HISTORICAL FICTION, HORROR, Lovecraftian, male authors, monsters, My reviews, NEW YORK, NOVELLA/SHORT STORY, occult, RACE, reading, revenge, The Ballad of Black Tom, TOR novella, URBAN FANTASY, Victor LaValle -
Quicksand by Nella Larsen
“As the days multiplied, her need of something, something vaguely familiar, but which she could not put a name to and hold for definite examination, became almost intolerable.” re-read:Larsen excels at disquiet atmosphere. The unease is positively palpable here. Larsen’s presents her readers with an unstinting character study of a deeply alienated woman whose estrangement…
1920s, 20th century, 3 STARS, 3rd pov, Adult, ALIENATION, ambiguous protagonist, ambivalent mood, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, american classics, Black & Black heritage authors, Chicago, CLASSICS, cold tone, cultural dissonance, Denmark, ennui, female authors, Harlem, harlem renaissance, HISTORICAL FICTION, identity, introspective, loneliness, Nella Larsen, NEW YORK, otherness, psychological, published in 1928, Quicksand, RACE, re-reads, read in 2021, read in 2022, the female malaise, travel -
Passing by Nella Larsen — book review
“It’s funny about ‘passing.’ We disapprove of it and at the same time condone it. It excites our contempt and yet we rather admire it. We shy away from it with an odd kind of revulsion, but we protect it.” At once alluring and disquieting Nella Larsen’s Passing presents its readers with a piercing examination of the…
1920s, 20th century, 4 STARS, ambiguous protagonist, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, Black & Black heritage authors, Chicago, CLASSICS, cold tone, colorism, female authors, female friendships, feverish, friendships, Harlem, harlem renaissance, HISTORICAL FICTION, Illinois, jealousy, lgbtq+, Longing, MARRIAGE, modern classics, Nella Larsen, NEW YORK, obsession, passing, psychological, published in 1929, queer undercurrents, RACE, re-reads, read in 2020, read in 2021, read in 2022, SUSPENSE, terrific prose, toxic relationships, tragedy
luce [is reading] 