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ashar_reads 's review for:

It Begins with Tears by Opal Palmer Adisa
5.0
challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5 stars

Holy shit y'all, this novel by Opal Palmer Adisa is one of the best books I've read in my entire life about feminism, spirituality, community, intertwined chosen family, and healing from trauma together, like I cannot recommend it ENOUGH 

It's set in a small Jamaican village and incorporates various Caribbean and West African folk tales as well as ancient traditions into the narrative, and it was such a privilege to read cultural fiction from someone who grew up in and moved back to Jamaica 

HUGE trigger warnings for violence, SA, rape, pregnancy, racism 

And while this may make it appear to be a book about suffering or "misery corn," I've never seen media depict personal and communal healing from trauma so beautifully 

Lastly the cover design by Touchpaper and cover art by David Bridgeman is GORGEOUS, you can absolutely judge this book by its cover 📔

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