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After reading Jones' short stories, I was interested to see his take on a novel. It turned out to be very similar. There were many, many characters here, and at times I felt like I was reading a collection of interwoven short stories. Even the chapters had similar titles to his short stories.

This novel did a fantastic job of making Manchester County feel like a real place. It was very interesting to read a slavery novel by a Black author that centered Black slaveholders, and their mixed feelings about participating in the institution. No one character really hooked me, but they all felt human.

The occasional dips into magic realism and symbolism would make this a great choice to be read together in a book club.

This is non-fiction as beach read, and felt more like a book-length Slate article that a serious attempt to understand or make an argument. The sources are the author's personal experience and a few interviews, so it comes off like a memoir of escaping a cult written by someone who was never in a cult.

The fitness and online influencer sections taught me a few new things, but the early parts of the book about religious cults gave high level summaries of the cults that are already the best know to any reader who has an interest in the subject.

At its worst this felt like the downscale kind of true crime or cult podcast where the hosts riff over a Wikipedia summary.

I was hoping for more depth, better research, and a clearer thesis. I would have stopped somewhere midway if this weren't as short as it was.

You could tell throughout that the author had thoroughly researched Belize and had a deep passion for the culture. The book tells three stories: past, present, and future, and weaves them together both plot-wise and thematically. The twins that were reincarnated throughout the timelines weren't always likeable, but were always compelling.

The future track had some elements that recalled the Culture novels. It did a great job of exploring how currently technology may evolve in a post-capitalist society.

Makes me dream about going to Belize and seeing the ATM cave myself.

Ending was a little bit sudden, but mostly satisfying.

This is a small, simple story built around a big twist. The protagonist is relatable, despite being extremely privileged. Cady does a good job making the reader feel her confusion, depression and despair. Even though the book is largely about teenagers and adults making bad decisions, the author showed empathy and understanding.

The prose works well and the supporting characters are well drawn. The chapters are very short, and at times read more like poems than prose. I got through this book quickly and it was easy to pick up and put down.

The twist was well-executed, with a fakeout or two along the way, and the re-read shows that the author mostly played fair.

When reading the e-book edition, I printed out the family tree and map in the front and kept it tucked in my e-reader as a reference.

This was kind of a slow start and I didn't find the protagonist as instantly likeable/relatable as most Summers books, but I thought it had a stronger plot and the best developed romantic relationship that she's written.

A really strong theme that ran through the book is that abusers will use vulnerable people's dreams and aspirations to exploit them, which is a good message that needs to be said.

In a way the ending isn't a surprise, but you're more along for the ride of how Georgia figures things out and reacts to them. The antagonists are pretty hateable, and you'll spend a good amount of time internally yelling at Georgia not to trust them.

Stick with this on and it pays off.

An entertaining read that was fun and went quick, but didn't break a lot of new ground for me.

I can't help but compare this to the movie (which was also pretty average) and ultimately think the choices the movie made worked better. Leonard's personality also came through much more in the film.

The prose showed occasional flashes, but was ultimately pretty straightforward. The author tried some innovative things with point of view, including narrating the last chapter in third person plural, but I don't think they really paid off in a significant way.

I enjoyed the writers notes at the end about particular symbols and the writer's process, and I wish more books would do that.

If this were a Stephen King book, it would be in about the 40th percentile of Stephen King books.

(Reviewed together with the companion volume All Aunt Hagar's Children)

What struck me the most about these books were Jones' ability to write believably and memorably across different ages, genders, classes and time periods. His characters are only united by race and place, but they have distinct yet harmonious voices.

Jones gives very specific, granular detail for where in Washington DC his stories happen, down to frequently giving intersections and street addresses, and as someone who knows and loves the city, it added an extra layer to me to imagine the stories happening in specific places I'd been and could visualize. I don't know if this would add anything for non-residents, but it worked for me. Refreshing to book about DC that rarely mentioned the Capitol or the Monuments or the Smithsonian.

Favorite story from this collection: Young Lions

(Reviewed together with the companion volume Lost in the City)

What struck me the most about these books were Jones' ability to write believably and memorably across different ages, genders, classes and time periods. His characters are only united by race and place, but they have distinct yet harmonious voices.

Jones gives very specific, granular detail for where in Washington DC his stories happen, down to frequently giving intersections and street addresses, and as someone who knows and loves the city, it added an extra layer to me to imagine the stories happening in specific places I'd been and could visualize. I don't know if this would add anything for non-residents, but it worked for me. Refreshing to book about DC that rarely mentioned the Capitol or the Monuments or the Smithsonian.

Favorite story from this collection: The Root Worker