This has enough on the bone and good enough writing to bump it up a star, though I’ve been ruminating on it for days, unsure.

I’m terms of showing marginalization and poverty governing the decisions and lives of a cast of characters, I think it’s very good. In terms of making the plot and message organic and seamless though, it struggles, perhaps fails completely. Each character is absolutely on rails and because we understand the messaging and, “point”, of the book, we can know well in advance what each major plot beat will be; though, there is a surprise near the end I hadn’t predicted… it is still thematically telegraphed, only the granular detail was a surprise.

If you don’t mind being hit over the head with theme though, I can see this being a five star read. There are a few really, really well observed character moments. My favourite being a woman staving off an abusive partner by installing a cross on the wall due to its cultural and the time period, the effect it has and how it’s articulated was a brilliant piece of writing.