CW: racism, careless mentions of the trauma of colonialism, racist slur words, rape, acephobia, homophobia

this is one of the most problematic but well written books i have ever read and its so tragic. This could’ve been such an amazing book if it wasn’t so painfully white.

For one the way the MC talks about racism, slavery, and colonialism in such an off-hand kind of way. She directly says at some point that she doesn’t understand her sister’s extreme abolitionist actions since slavery doesn’t really affect her so why should she care? Its horrifying and bad and shouldn’t exists but it doesn’t affect her. And like? How very white and privileged of you.

When they are at a dinner and a scientist tells them of his research of how Black People aren’t part of the human species it’s used as a way of sexual awakening for alma bc prior to that dinner she masturbated for the first time and now they are talking about how black people shouldn’t “mate” with white people bc they aren’t the same race and now she’s constantly blushing thinking of what she did before that dinner like ??? can we talk about how wrong that theory is and not about her sexual awakening?? Please?

And then don’t get me started on ambrose pike! That poor fucking man. Like i don’t agree with his spiritual believes but the way he was treated by alma and Tomorrow Morning? First alma told him he would never love her properly bc he didn’t want to have sex with her which infuriated me so much. Like sure i get that she just really wants to know what sexual intimacy feels like but God its not the only form of love there is and telling someone who clearly loves you that they don’t bc they don’t feel sexually attracted to you and don’t want to have sex with you? And then banishing them to a place where you just Know they don’t want to go?
And then Tomorrow Morning’s “im a conqueror i don’t need to force myself on anyone” bullshit. He never accepted ambrose’s no and pestered him so relentlessly that he eventually gave in and then immediately afterwards committed suicide like ??? Buddy that’s forcing yourself on someone which means you raped him and he killed himself afterwards. Not to mention the way alma immediately thought ambrose was a gay pedophile when she found ambrose’s nude drawings of Tomorrow Morning after ambrose died. Like, way to lean into harmful stereotypes here. And the casual way her father mentions getting raped on those sailing boats by the sailors. I was shook.

In conclusion, the writing was beautiful and engaging and i guess historically well-researched but it was very blunt and did not handle the trauma of colonialism and rape in a very sensitive manner. Definitely look at the CW bc this is a very white book.