sllyllyd's Reviews (277)

A collection of short stories. Winner of the Dylan Thomas prize in 2020. Very dark, vivid, sometimes tough to read. But a beauty in the writing which brings the characters to life. Enjoyed is too strong a word but I'm really glad I read them!

(From my white female gaze)
I really loved this book. I found it hard to get into right at the beginning and as it was a collection of essays I decided to read it slowly and absorb more.
1. Written in the 70s and 80s - it could have been written yesterday. The words are timeless and it's depressing how little has changed.
2. Lorde's essays on anger and fury were so helpful for me and helped me understand more about what it's like to be a black woman (and I'm very aware I will never fully understand).
3. Her writing is so strong, angry, bold, beautiful. I don't think I've underlined a book so much!
Fav quote
'you’re never really a whole person if you remain silent, because there’s always that one little piece inside you that wants to be spoken out, and if you keep ignoring it, it gets madder and madder and hotter and hotter, and if you don’t speak it out one day it will just up and punch you in the mouth from the inside'

Comfort re-read. This was one of my favourite books growing up. A truly awesome wizarding world with an unlikely hero. Better than you know what and a crying shame there were only a few books in the series. 30 years on and this world is still so real to me!

I flew through this book and loved it! The characters are so charming and likeable (whilst maintaining flaws) and it's just a delightful read. Recommend.
(Also, someone from Waterstones in Edinburgh recommended this book and she was