This is quite possibly my favorite read of this year so far. It hit JUST right in so many ways, I have spent so long writing this review because I want to do it justice, but I cannot even begin to describe how masterful of a wordsmith Rivers Solomon is.

First, the prose is fucking excellent. Completely convoluted and nonsensical in the most beautiful ways. Everything that didn’t make sense also did make sense, every strange turn of phrase or mannerism was so believable because of how these characters are developed that you do not question their absurdity for even a second.

Speaking of the characters, I loved so many of them, but specifically the main character Vern resonated with me deeply. This was my experience with An Unkindness of Ghosts as well, where the main character’s thought processes are so influenced by PTSD and other implied neurodivergences that I can’t help but feel a deep connection despite how different our lives are. I didn’t grow up in a cult, my roots are Native American instead of African American, nor do I relate to many other defining details that I will decline to specify to avoid spoilers, but even with our differences our brains work in such similar ways and that is something I so rarely get to experience in books.

The plot leads you towards figuring out twists/major plot points yourself, but Solomon doesn't focus on trying to completely obfuscate the direction the story is heading, instead they leave you just enough to draw conclusions but not enough to feasibly parse the details or circumstances surrounding them. You can think of things that certainly will end up being true, end up happening, et cetera, but there is so much constantly up in the air that you're left both satisfied in your deductions and still surprised.

There are a LOT of political themes in this book, and while I could see that being overwhelming to some, I think it’s important to recognize that all of these issues are connected. There is no homophobia without misogyny, racism is fundamentally connected to the desire of those in power to stay in power, which is connected to poverty and other various forms of systemic oppression, etc. There is no disconnecting any of it, so I appreciate Rivers Solomon touching on as much as they could and in a way that actually does these issues justice.

An absolute 100% recommendation from me. I literally had to resort to starting a reread after this because I genuinely think any attempted new read would be doomed having to follow this.

The clown emoji is Victor because I hate that man

I hesitate to say that I enjoyed this more than Pride & Prejudice, because I do truly love that book, but what I WILL confidently say are that there are aspects of Persuasion that will stick with me forever and that I liked more than P&P.

First, and I can't believe I am saying this, I love Anne more than I love Elizabeth. That is HIGH praise because I adore Lizzie. There are similarities between the two of them, they are intelligent, they are witty, and they are independent, but there are also a lot of differences and those differences make Anne more relatable and lovable to me. She is deeply complex, she is reserved and introverted but still loving, kind and helpful. She is a wallflower who people take for granted, but she doesn't let it turn her completely bitter. She is quiet but she is strong, she is damaged but she perseveres, she is patient but she is steadfast.

Maybe it helps that Anne is nearly exactly my age, she is 27 and I am about to be as well. I am glad i did not read this until now because I may not have enjoyed it quite as much. If you haven't experienced at least SOME of the dark parts of life, loss, grief, the inner battle of self forgiveness and the deep ever-present aching of regret, it probably won't resonate as deeply.

I also adored how subtle the prose was. If you take everything at face value, you don't get the full picture. You miss the humor, the wit, the tragedy and pain. What is unsaid is just as important as what is said.

I will say, the romantic interest and romance in general in this novel definitely don't compare to P&P. I still enjoyed it and think it was done well, but Lizzie and Darcy hold a high bar. I would say the romance itself is not as much of a main focus in this as it is in Pride & Prejudice. If you are someone who prefers straightforward romance, this may not be for you.

All in all I am better for having read this and wish I could wipe it from my brain so I could read it for the first time again.