There's a lot going on in this book and it sometimes feels chaotic for that reason, but I didn't mind that. I think that actually played into what the book is representing, which is, to me, that black girls and women are wizards, performing acts of magic to help them survive in a world that is against them. Of course, they aren't *really* wizards, but the elements of magical realism help to show how they cope with all the unfair and cruel cards they're dealt. 

Echo grows up in a poor black community in which her stepfather is frequently drunk and her mother is always strung out on "the white rocks" (crack cocaine). Echo works to overcome the odds that are stacked against her: the disadvantage, the addiction, the access to quality education, the sexual abuse -- all things that affect black communities more than white people often feel comfortable acknowledging -- and she thrives. 

I'm certain there are own-voices reviews of this book that are more useful than my review here, and I encourage you to read them. I found this book to be very moving and also thought-provoking because it isn't often that the focus is placed on black women in society (what I mean is, even though it's something we hear about, it's not something I've often seen in books). This had me learning a lot more about all the ways that systemic racism exists and all of the hardships people endure because of it. As a former teacher, I was particularly interested in the education angle and how Echo was able to piece her education together, as well as how she saw school as her safe space. 

This book was really well done and I'm surprised that I haven't seen more people talking about it.