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francesmthompson 's review for:

Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
4.0
dark reflective tense medium-paced
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

A memorable collection of short stories that ranged from the deeply dark and disturbing, to the peculiar and poignant. Some moved me to tears, others shook me to my core, and all the while each one was dipped in dystopia or magical realism, it was impossible to ignore the connections to our present day reality in the contexts of Black Lives Matter, capitalism, and politics. This is a book for fans of Black Mirror, which I often found too dark to stomach, but I also think it's important to highlight the author's playful imagination and relatable sense of humour which still shone through the stories.