Review: Betty
THE PLOT: ‘Betty’ by Tiffany McDaniel is a coming-of-age novel about a young girl with Cherokee heritage. Born in 1954, Betty is the middle child in a large family. Her white mother resents her Cherokee father because, despite his hard … Continue reading Review: Betty
Review: Who’s Loving You
THE PLOT: Who’s Loving You is an anthology of short stories by British women of colour. From a refugee washing up on shore to a girl visiting Iran for her mothers’ funeral, these stories cover a vast range of topics, but … Continue reading Review: Who’s Loving You
Review: Trees for the Absentees
THE PLOT: Trees for the Absentees by Ahlam Bsharat is a short novel about a young girl living in occupied Palestine. The protagonist, Philistia, has grown up helping her Grandma Zahia who is a midwife and corpse washer. After her Grandma … Continue reading Review: Trees for the Absentees
Review: Concrete Rose
THE PLOT: Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas is a young-adult novel about a black boy who becomes a father at seventeen years old. Stuck in an underprivileged neighbourhood, Maverick was pretty much born into a gang. His father was the don … Continue reading Review: Concrete Rose
Review: Shuggie Bain
THE PLOT: Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart is a literary novel about a young boy growing up in 80’s Glasgow. Since he was a toddler, it’s been clear that Hugh (Shuggie) Bain is different from other children in his tower block. … Continue reading Review: Shuggie Bain
Review: The Mountains Sing
THE PLOT: The Mountains Sing by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai is historical fiction set in Vietnam. Covering several generations of the same family, the story goes back and forth between two storylines. The main character, Hương, waits from her parents and … Continue reading Review: The Mountains Sing
Review: Three Hours
THE PLOT: Three hours by Rosamund Lupton is a literary thriller about a school shooting in Somerset. Matthew Marr is headmaster at a progressive, liberal school where children are free to express whatever gender they want, teachers are openly gay … Continue reading Review: Three Hours
Review: Ghosts
THE PLOT: Ghosts by Dolly Alderton is a novel about a 32-year-old woman on the London dating scene. Food-writer Nina split up from her long-term boyfriend two years ago and is ready to get back out there. She downloads a dating … Continue reading Review: Ghosts
Review: Snowflake
THE PLOT: “Snowflake” by Louise Nealon is a novel about a young girl from rural Ireland who is accepted into the prestigious Trinity College in Dublin. Intelligent loner Debbie comes from a family of dairy farmers in Kildare. Her mum is … Continue reading Review: Snowflake
Review: Sista Sister
THE PLOT: Sista Sister by Candice Brathwaite is a compilation of personal essays. Written for black girls, the book covers all the things Candice wishes someone had talked to her about when she was growing up in South London. The book … Continue reading Review: Sista Sister
