leekaufman's Reviews (426)

A Passage North

Anuk Arudpragasam

4.0

challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Emergency Contact

Mary H.K. Choi

4.0

emotional funny medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Mary H.K. Choi captures late teen/early 20s angst so well. The dialogue is so spot on. There are some pacing and development issues with the side plots, but I love the characters and the main plot is well-paced. I like that there is no big drama blowout between Penny and Sam.

The Sweetness of Water

Nathan Harris

3.0

reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

A very readable, if conventional choice for the Booker. The characters were clear and defined, but a little stereotypical. I liked the omniscient third person but I would have liked more from the brothers Landry and Prentiss and less of George. The climax seemed to come a little too early--there wasn't quite enough building of tension and the ending dragged.

Content Warnings