I want to say that I do intend on re-reading this book in the future and it may end up being 5 stars, I just couldn’t quite connect to the story as much this time because I was in a reading slump and struggled to concentrate on reading, to no fault of the book itself. 

In saying this, I did really enjoy this book. There were so many layers of meaning, it was deep and dark and metaphorical and I think the more I contemplate the book, the more I’ll find there is to it. 

The representation in this book was amazing for such a short novel (sub 300 pages). There was trans (MTF), polyamory, non-binary, selective mutism and wheelchair user rep, all of which I felt was done with care. I also loved how the sign language was women through the story, and how it was distinct from spoken word. I did, however, sometime find the lack of formatting on the in-mind speech a little confusing, but if I’d been able to concentrate more then maybe this wouldn’t have been so bad.

I really am not sure how to put into words how I felt about the rest of it, because it was so intricate and, as I mentioned, there are so many layers to what happens but I think this is what is really special about this book. It addresses, subtly, the monsters in today’s society and how monsters can come in many forms, about the appearance of angles and what that means, how good deeds often require questionable deeds, and the morality of certain forms of punishment and justice. 

I would definitely recommend reading this to truely understand the intricacy of this narrative and the discourse on current society. Another great novel by Akwaeke Emezi.