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Such a Beautiful Thing to Behold
An inexplicable sickness. A small town cut off from the world. An unexpected community of survivors forges a family out of the despair, struggling against things known and unknown for survival and hope.
A mysterious plague known as the Grey grips the small village of Pilam, which the world has quarantined without pity. Laying waste to Pilam’s residents, the Grey saps its victims of strength, drains the color from their eyes, and kills all promise until their last breath. Only the young are immune. But beyond the barricades and walls of soldiers—the manifestation of a nation’s terror—there are rumors of a cure. Dunka, the eldest son of a family reeling from the Grey, takes on the daunting task of leaving Pilam to find that cure for his siblings and save them before it’s too late.
His siblings, however, have plans of their own. Navigating the chaos of violence, hunger, and death, each of them tries to make sense of the bleak circumstances, forging new bonds with other juvenile survivors left to their own devices. Now an unlikely family of six, they choose their own perilous paths, at first separately and then together, coming to terms with the decisions they make and the ghosts they cannot leave behind.
Umar Turaki’s gripping novel is a story of survival, love, and the human spirit’s tenacious capacity for wonder.
A mysterious plague known as the Grey grips the small village of Pilam, which the world has quarantined without pity. Laying waste to Pilam’s residents, the Grey saps its victims of strength, drains the color from their eyes, and kills all promise until their last breath. Only the young are immune. But beyond the barricades and walls of soldiers—the manifestation of a nation’s terror—there are rumors of a cure. Dunka, the eldest son of a family reeling from the Grey, takes on the daunting task of leaving Pilam to find that cure for his siblings and save them before it’s too late.
His siblings, however, have plans of their own. Navigating the chaos of violence, hunger, and death, each of them tries to make sense of the bleak circumstances, forging new bonds with other juvenile survivors left to their own devices. Now an unlikely family of six, they choose their own perilous paths, at first separately and then together, coming to terms with the decisions they make and the ghosts they cannot leave behind.
Umar Turaki’s gripping novel is a story of survival, love, and the human spirit’s tenacious capacity for wonder.
256 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 1, 2022
2030 people are currently reading
5659 people want to read
About the author
Umar Turaki
5 books55 followersUmar Turaki is a writer from Jos, Nigeria. His writing has been shortlisted for the Miles Morland Scholarship, longlisted for the Short Story Day Africa Prize, and has won the AFREADA Photo-Story Competition. Such a Beautiful Thing to Behold, forthcoming from Little A (world) and Farafina (Nigeria) in 2022, is his first novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 189 reviews
May 3, 2022
Very beautifully written
I originally decided to read this book because I enjoy dystopian themes. However, while reading this well written book, I learned that the grey was just a happenstance, and the real story was the the interaction between the 4 siblings and their friends. They grew through grief and loss and love. And, in the end, decided that the world really was a beautiful thing to behold.
I originally decided to read this book because I enjoy dystopian themes. However, while reading this well written book, I learned that the grey was just a happenstance, and the real story was the the interaction between the 4 siblings and their friends. They grew through grief and loss and love. And, in the end, decided that the world really was a beautiful thing to behold.
March 12, 2022
If you thought that the only way you could get published through Amazon was through self-publishing means, think again. You may not (or may) be aware of this, but Amazon does publish books, too. They have a publishing concern, Little A, that takes agented books, so — in theory — you’re getting the same kind of quality fiction you would get through one of the other major publishers out there. Little A is no hybrid publisher putting out dubious books. Thus, it is with some sadness that I must admit that Nigerian writer Umar Turaki’s forthcoming book, Such a Beautiful Thing to Behold, is lacklustre. While it has a brilliant premise — a COVID-like virus attacks a small town and only children are immune — it bakes it under a wealth of literary pretension, making it hard to read and is (surprising for a book with its share of violence) acutely boring as heck, as well. It hurts me to say that because any time a person of colour gets a book published, it’s like a small victory against white privilege. We need more books written by Black and brown people. However, I do caution against publishing books from marginalized communities of writers for the sake of it — ideally, if you’re going to release a book, it had better be good.
The problems with Such a Beautiful Thing to Behold are multiple. It takes a while for the reader to realize that the book is set somewhere in Africa, as the novel otherwise has a fairy tale quality to it. While most of the action takes place in a village called Pilam (of which the main characters seek to escape at the outset), the surrounding villages also have the letter “P” starting their names, which can be a tad bit confusing to keep track of. On a similar bent, the novel is stuffed to the gills with characters — so much so that it can be hard to tell them apart, especially as a number of these characters are narrators of the story from a third-person point of view. While I understand that the bevy of characters is meant to buoy the novel’s conclusion — that it takes a village or a community to survive a pandemic, this ultimately only makes the novel hard to read. Similarly, the novel does a lot of jumping backward and forwards through time, so you’ll encounter the same scene from a different character’s POV, too, in another chapter, which just only adds to the confusion.
Read the entire review here: https://zachary-houle.medium.com/a-re...
The problems with Such a Beautiful Thing to Behold are multiple. It takes a while for the reader to realize that the book is set somewhere in Africa, as the novel otherwise has a fairy tale quality to it. While most of the action takes place in a village called Pilam (of which the main characters seek to escape at the outset), the surrounding villages also have the letter “P” starting their names, which can be a tad bit confusing to keep track of. On a similar bent, the novel is stuffed to the gills with characters — so much so that it can be hard to tell them apart, especially as a number of these characters are narrators of the story from a third-person point of view. While I understand that the bevy of characters is meant to buoy the novel’s conclusion — that it takes a village or a community to survive a pandemic, this ultimately only makes the novel hard to read. Similarly, the novel does a lot of jumping backward and forwards through time, so you’ll encounter the same scene from a different character’s POV, too, in another chapter, which just only adds to the confusion.
Read the entire review here: https://zachary-houle.medium.com/a-re...
May 5, 2022
It all starts with a sickness – the Grey, which steals color from its victims and saps their will to live. It quickly overtakes the small African village of Pilam, and when the rest of the world reacts by brutally enforcing a complete quarantine, they’re left to live or die alone.
Such a Beautiful Thing to Behold follows one family, two brothers and two sisters, who’ve lost their parents and now must navigate this new world with only each other.
It wasn’t an easy life for the family at the heart of Such a Beautiful Thing to Behold before they lost their parents, and even less after – the arrival of the Grey and the devastation it brings is going to require everything they can give to survive. With the siblings divided and their future uncertain, it’s no small journey they face.
This is Umar Turaki’s first novel, and pardon the pun, but color me impressed. His writing has the confidence of a much more seasoned author, and with a deceptively simple turn of phrase manages to vividly evoke the small-town setting of his story. Characters, the situations they face, and the emotions of living through a life-changing catastrophe are all communicated to the reader in such a way that they feel real and immediate – I didn’t have to work at putting myself in someone else’s shoes, it felt like the author transported me there. Whether there was heartbreak, joy, or out and out despair, I was right there with them.
No matter how terrible the circumstances – and there are some dark moments in this book, Umar Turaki isn’t glossing over the reality of how bad this situation could get – the changing perspectives kick in at exactly the right times to break the tension and allow a little hope back for the reader. I loved this book and the cast of characters it introduced me to – it’s a beautiful book, and even more impressive as a debut. You may cry – I did – but it’s more than worth it.
This review originally appeared at mysteryandsuspense.com.
Such a Beautiful Thing to Behold follows one family, two brothers and two sisters, who’ve lost their parents and now must navigate this new world with only each other.
It wasn’t an easy life for the family at the heart of Such a Beautiful Thing to Behold before they lost their parents, and even less after – the arrival of the Grey and the devastation it brings is going to require everything they can give to survive. With the siblings divided and their future uncertain, it’s no small journey they face.
This is Umar Turaki’s first novel, and pardon the pun, but color me impressed. His writing has the confidence of a much more seasoned author, and with a deceptively simple turn of phrase manages to vividly evoke the small-town setting of his story. Characters, the situations they face, and the emotions of living through a life-changing catastrophe are all communicated to the reader in such a way that they feel real and immediate – I didn’t have to work at putting myself in someone else’s shoes, it felt like the author transported me there. Whether there was heartbreak, joy, or out and out despair, I was right there with them.
No matter how terrible the circumstances – and there are some dark moments in this book, Umar Turaki isn’t glossing over the reality of how bad this situation could get – the changing perspectives kick in at exactly the right times to break the tension and allow a little hope back for the reader. I loved this book and the cast of characters it introduced me to – it’s a beautiful book, and even more impressive as a debut. You may cry – I did – but it’s more than worth it.
This review originally appeared at mysteryandsuspense.com.
April 17, 2022
Just now I am finding all but the fluffiest of fiction really hard going, I've no idea why and I'm sure I'll snap out of it at some point, but for now anything challenging is tough.
That said, I really enjoyed this book. Perhaps 'enjoy' isn't the right word, this is the very opposite of fluffy fiction. The theme, the narrative, pretty much everything is a long way down the 'grim' scale of things.
The narrative is quite disjointed too - it flips between several point of view voices (although they are all very well signalled, the reader is not left to guess who is doing the narrating at any point), which can lead to some 'wait, what??' moments, but over all it flows nicely and is very coherent.
In the time I've been getting the Kindle first books I've had one that I thoroughly enjoyed as it was a writer who I already read, and one that was ... ok but not very memorable. This one is an absolute stand out because I read it, enjoyed it, it was way out of my usual reading comfort zone (also, see my first sentence here) and I had no knowledge of the author before I started reading.
The story?
If you're in the mood for challenging then I highly recommend this book.
That said, I really enjoyed this book. Perhaps 'enjoy' isn't the right word, this is the very opposite of fluffy fiction. The theme, the narrative, pretty much everything is a long way down the 'grim' scale of things.
The narrative is quite disjointed too - it flips between several point of view voices (although they are all very well signalled, the reader is not left to guess who is doing the narrating at any point), which can lead to some 'wait, what??' moments, but over all it flows nicely and is very coherent.
In the time I've been getting the Kindle first books I've had one that I thoroughly enjoyed as it was a writer who I already read, and one that was ... ok but not very memorable. This one is an absolute stand out because I read it, enjoyed it, it was way out of my usual reading comfort zone (also, see my first sentence here) and I had no knowledge of the author before I started reading.
The story?
If you're in the mood for challenging then I highly recommend this book.
February 23, 2022
This novel was so beautifully written. It unfolds mainly through four siblings—Dunka, Panmun, Rit, and Panshak—as their family life and community falls apart because of a mysterious illness called the Grey.
At first I was thinking, hmmm a novel with a pandemic in it? Can I handle that right now? But the Grey is unlike any disease I’d heard of, and the pandemic itself isn’t a huge part of the story. Instead, the Grey serves as the backdrop that wrenches the siblings apart as they pursue what life and survival looks like to each of them in the aftermath of losing everything.
Chaos, murder, survival, awe-inspiring descriptions, and suspense—this story kept me hooked.
It was heartrending at times watching what each character had to go through before they realized what really mattered—family and how to make a strong one together.
Definitely a beautiful tearjerker that had me crying like a baby with happiness by the end. Highly recommend.
At first I was thinking, hmmm a novel with a pandemic in it? Can I handle that right now? But the Grey is unlike any disease I’d heard of, and the pandemic itself isn’t a huge part of the story. Instead, the Grey serves as the backdrop that wrenches the siblings apart as they pursue what life and survival looks like to each of them in the aftermath of losing everything.
Chaos, murder, survival, awe-inspiring descriptions, and suspense—this story kept me hooked.
It was heartrending at times watching what each character had to go through before they realized what really mattered—family and how to make a strong one together.
Definitely a beautiful tearjerker that had me crying like a baby with happiness by the end. Highly recommend.
April 30, 2022
Another plague type apocalypse book - yay! I liked the premise of this, although I wouldn't necessarily have chosen it if it hadn't been one of the options for April's Amazon Firsts (it comes out tomorrow May 1st).
The interesting thing about this plague (the Grey) is it saps you of strength and will to live, youcan't see anything in colour, and eventually you get so depressed you kill yourself. (lovely...) Like, the spectres in His dark Materials, it only affects you as an adult, so a lot of the village, Pilam, is basically run by kids.
I wanted to like this book - and I was supposed to be buddy reading it, which always increases how much I like something - but... I just didn't. There's some really great writing in it; Turaki is a real wordsmith. But the whole thing dragged for me. Reeeeeally dragged.
Umar Turaki's gripping novel is a story of survival, love, and the human spirit's capacity for wonder. (from the blurb)
... I mean, that's technically right I guess, but I didn't find it gripping. I wasn't in a great mood while I was reading it so I may be unfairly judging it. This was actually published by Amazon (their imprint is Little A) and I don't think I've read any other books published by them. I'd be interested to see what the quality of the other books is.
I feel mean for giving it one star, and sad for the author, but I just wasn't invested in the characters, the sibling bonds I'd hoped for weren't there, and there were only flashes of real emotion. Shame.
The interesting thing about this plague (the Grey) is it saps you of strength and will to live, youcan't see anything in colour, and eventually you get so depressed you kill yourself. (lovely...) Like, the spectres in His dark Materials, it only affects you as an adult, so a lot of the village, Pilam, is basically run by kids.
I wanted to like this book - and I was supposed to be buddy reading it, which always increases how much I like something - but... I just didn't. There's some really great writing in it; Turaki is a real wordsmith. But the whole thing dragged for me. Reeeeeally dragged.
Umar Turaki's gripping novel is a story of survival, love, and the human spirit's capacity for wonder. (from the blurb)
... I mean, that's technically right I guess, but I didn't find it gripping. I wasn't in a great mood while I was reading it so I may be unfairly judging it. This was actually published by Amazon (their imprint is Little A) and I don't think I've read any other books published by them. I'd be interested to see what the quality of the other books is.
I feel mean for giving it one star, and sad for the author, but I just wasn't invested in the characters, the sibling bonds I'd hoped for weren't there, and there were only flashes of real emotion. Shame.
April 6, 2022
my favorite book of 2022
This book has left me speechless.
The writing is like a movie reel, a deep picture of reality that seeps into your mind leaving you in awe but slightly petrified because you know this type of situation while not exactly the same has happened somewhere before. The love and strength of the characters. The writing in so many parts is eloquent and raw. My only moment of slight anger was the ending, I do not like things left unsaid because now I am left wondering how and why it all began? But I suppose that was the authors point, to let our own minds create the outcome. Definitely a book I will read again and again because I have a feeling with this one you will notice something more beautiful each time you open it again.
This book has left me speechless.
The writing is like a movie reel, a deep picture of reality that seeps into your mind leaving you in awe but slightly petrified because you know this type of situation while not exactly the same has happened somewhere before. The love and strength of the characters. The writing in so many parts is eloquent and raw. My only moment of slight anger was the ending, I do not like things left unsaid because now I am left wondering how and why it all began? But I suppose that was the authors point, to let our own minds create the outcome. Definitely a book I will read again and again because I have a feeling with this one you will notice something more beautiful each time you open it again.
April 13, 2022
Couldn't put it down
The language is different indeed and viewing circumstances through the eyes of each character was refreshing. Such a wonderful way to show triumph out of suffering.
The language is different indeed and viewing circumstances through the eyes of each character was refreshing. Such a wonderful way to show triumph out of suffering.
April 8, 2022
Unfortunately, the reprise describing the story is better than the story itself. A mysterious illness called the Grey infects the small village of Pilam, killing the adults. The disease continues to remain a mystery throughout the book. Do not expect to learn much more about it. There is no development of the origins, the trajectory or the cure of the disease. The world becomes a dismal place without color and for the most part, the infected die by suicide. The Grey strikes me as a metaphor for the wonder of youth and the loss of it due to the more bleary aspects of the world when we become adults. It could be better developed. By the middle of the book, it was hard to maintain any interest.
There are some good points. The premise is interesting, if undeveloped. There is one scene, given the survivors are children, that was captivating a la Lord of the Flies. There are a few lines in the book that are poetic and evocative, but not enough of them to recommend the time it takes to read the book. In the end the story becomes dull and unsatisfying.
Given the topic, the grim aspects of survival are to be expected in the story. But it is not so grim, given it starts two years into the epidemic, that there are still homes in the village that have not been completely ransacked where goods can be found. The barricades surrounding Pilam must enclose a very, very large space because they can still hunt and trap game after two years. There were “barricades and walls of soldiers” mentioned keeping them in quarantine, but easy enough to get through repeatedly. The patrols never materialize. No one was interested in studying the disease either, until maybe now, two years later? So much of the story is implausible, the telling tedious, and the ending abrupt and disappointing. It was a free selection and grateful I did not have to pay to read it.
There are some good points. The premise is interesting, if undeveloped. There is one scene, given the survivors are children, that was captivating a la Lord of the Flies. There are a few lines in the book that are poetic and evocative, but not enough of them to recommend the time it takes to read the book. In the end the story becomes dull and unsatisfying.
Given the topic, the grim aspects of survival are to be expected in the story. But it is not so grim, given it starts two years into the epidemic, that there are still homes in the village that have not been completely ransacked where goods can be found. The barricades surrounding Pilam must enclose a very, very large space because they can still hunt and trap game after two years. There were “barricades and walls of soldiers” mentioned keeping them in quarantine, but easy enough to get through repeatedly. The patrols never materialize. No one was interested in studying the disease either, until maybe now, two years later? So much of the story is implausible, the telling tedious, and the ending abrupt and disappointing. It was a free selection and grateful I did not have to pay to read it.
April 4, 2022
I enjoyed this book
I was hesitant to read this after reading reviews of its darkness. However, I felt this was a well written account with many nuances and thought provoking situations-especially considering the current situations in our world. The authors ability to paint a picture and his use of textural verbiage were excellent. I reserve 5 stars for my all time favorites, but put this at 4 plus stars. I encourage you to read this book and consider its complexities. Spoiler: the novel is not all darkness.
I was hesitant to read this after reading reviews of its darkness. However, I felt this was a well written account with many nuances and thought provoking situations-especially considering the current situations in our world. The authors ability to paint a picture and his use of textural verbiage were excellent. I reserve 5 stars for my all time favorites, but put this at 4 plus stars. I encourage you to read this book and consider its complexities. Spoiler: the novel is not all darkness.
April 5, 2022
Beautiful
This was so beautifully written. The Grey cannot overpower the beauty ,color and life painted by this talented authors words.
Yes there is sadness and violence , struggles and death but there is also love , family strength and hope generosity,empathy ,compassion and love.and after such struggle, a future. A bright future for this author as well. What a breath of fresh air to read something so genuine and unique .
This was so beautifully written. The Grey cannot overpower the beauty ,color and life painted by this talented authors words.
Yes there is sadness and violence , struggles and death but there is also love , family strength and hope generosity,empathy ,compassion and love.and after such struggle, a future. A bright future for this author as well. What a breath of fresh air to read something so genuine and unique .
May 10, 2022
The Grey
This story was extremely sad. So much death, suicide, violence and loss of parents it becomes banality. Several parts seemed to just repeat itself. Escape seems useless. Then the ending is short and leaves quite a few questions.
This story was extremely sad. So much death, suicide, violence and loss of parents it becomes banality. Several parts seemed to just repeat itself. Escape seems useless. Then the ending is short and leaves quite a few questions.
April 10, 2022
Wow
This was a great first reads pick. Beautiful and full of family and love and soul crushing heartache.
well written
This was a great first reads pick. Beautiful and full of family and love and soul crushing heartache.
well written
May 2, 2022
This made my heart so happy
April 27, 2022
Beautiful and very emotive. A sickness strikes a small town, which becomes known as 'The Grey.' It turns what people see to grey, but then it becomes more than that. Most of the adults are now deceased or have wandered off into places unknown leaving the children to defend themselves. It feels like all hope is gone when a baby is born and hope is reignited.
May 2, 2022
Turaki took me back to high school and the reading of The Lord of the Flies. Cons: The language was painfully descriptive. The plot was awfully depressing. The ending was terribly ambiguous. I don't believe this book was meant to be read at face value. It is metaphorical. I'm still trying to assign meaning to it. It is one of those books that has me still contemplating it's message. To me, that is what defines a great book. :-)
April 18, 2022
A book to challenge readers
When I first began this book I wasn't certain I was going to finish it. The story felt oppressive and the multiple viewpoints made it a challenge to read. But, I wanted to see where the story went. I am so glad I did finish the book. This story leaves you with so many different allegories that it is breath taking. It is so worth the work to read it. I am so happy I read it. I would recommend it to anyone interested in a story that will broaden you viewpoint.
When I first began this book I wasn't certain I was going to finish it. The story felt oppressive and the multiple viewpoints made it a challenge to read. But, I wanted to see where the story went. I am so glad I did finish the book. This story leaves you with so many different allegories that it is breath taking. It is so worth the work to read it. I am so happy I read it. I would recommend it to anyone interested in a story that will broaden you viewpoint.
April 8, 2022
Beautifully written….
The author, Umar Turaki, has written a beautiful novel that is hauntingly powerful. His characters are solid—-despite being fairly young, they all have to grow up fast, because a deadly disease has killed most of the adults in their small town. At the beginning of the book, this family of four young siblings are on their own, with no real structure or leadership. Everybody is going their own way, and doing their own thing, but as the book progresses and bad things start to happen out in ‘the big bad world,’ they feel the need to return home. They come back together vastly changed by the events each has lived through, and they now appreciate each other and being a family again. The only thing I didn’t like was how abruptly the book ended. I think it just needed a little something more at the end. I do look forward to reading more from this author!!
The author, Umar Turaki, has written a beautiful novel that is hauntingly powerful. His characters are solid—-despite being fairly young, they all have to grow up fast, because a deadly disease has killed most of the adults in their small town. At the beginning of the book, this family of four young siblings are on their own, with no real structure or leadership. Everybody is going their own way, and doing their own thing, but as the book progresses and bad things start to happen out in ‘the big bad world,’ they feel the need to return home. They come back together vastly changed by the events each has lived through, and they now appreciate each other and being a family again. The only thing I didn’t like was how abruptly the book ended. I think it just needed a little something more at the end. I do look forward to reading more from this author!!
May 23, 2022
Such A Beautiful Thing to Behold is a unique story about a plague called the Grey in a small town that causes people's minds and bodies to rot until they eventually commit suicide. It reminded me of the movie Doomsday (excellent movie you should check out, I have seen it at least 8 times). It has good characterization and due to multiple POVs of the different characters, you gather insight into how they interpret and feel about the same situation. Book is suspenseful and I found my self holding my breath, on edge at times. Not a whole lot of action, but what did happen was quick, without any followup results. A bit of a let down. Book is very wordy with vivid descriptions: too much at times, and too little at others. I like how all the characters are searching for something in the plague time, and eventually find it. So a complete story with a satisfying ending, but the end part regarding the Grey left me scratching my head. Not sure how to interpret it. Book had a lot of symbolism, so I think this would be a really good book club book. I'd love to discuss it in depth with someone. Overall, I enjoyed this story, it was written well, and I think this author has great talent.
May 3, 2022
Umar Turaki’s debut novel, Such a Beautiful Thing to Behold, is a stunning, cautionary tale of what might happen when we become disconnected from the world around us. In a town where a mysterious illness has claimed the lives of most adults—an illness that steals the color from your eyes and the joy from your life—four siblings fight to survive in a world that has left them for dead. SABTTB is a beautiful story about what happens when we lose touch with the Earth, with our loved ones, and with the natural rhythms of our lives. It is a reflection of our world as we struggle to deal with pandemic, with shifting climates (both cultural and environmental), and with growing indifference and hopelessness. Turaki’s novel paints a grim, black and white world almost completely devoid of hope—but not completely—and he peoples it with frightened, lost, yet ultimately brave and relatable characters. This novel is a love letter to our world, and a lifeline to anyone who finds themselves feeling cut off. It is ultimately a story about the human spirit, and the ability of our species to overcome in even the darkest, most hopeless of circumstances. Timely, poetic, and beautifully-crafted from cover to cover, Turaki’s novel is destined to become a staple of literary classes everywhere, and a necessary brick in the modern canon.
July 10, 2022
A Tale of Hope and Fortitude
The beginning of the story was confusing. The characters weren't introduced in a way that made me feel like I knew or even wanted to know them. The obstacles were easily overcome. The middle of the book was more interesting and the characters became more relatable. The end of the book wrapped up too neatly and was far too predictable. It's a unique story but needs more polish.
The beginning of the story was confusing. The characters weren't introduced in a way that made me feel like I knew or even wanted to know them. The obstacles were easily overcome. The middle of the book was more interesting and the characters became more relatable. The end of the book wrapped up too neatly and was far too predictable. It's a unique story but needs more polish.
October 13, 2024
Speculative fiction at its finest.
This village is somewhere in Shendam. I can feel it in my bones. This is fine needlework. And this story deserves all the high praise it gets.
The human soul is complex, terrifyingly beautiful and we see it in blazing glory through this novel.
This village is somewhere in Shendam. I can feel it in my bones. This is fine needlework. And this story deserves all the high praise it gets.
The human soul is complex, terrifyingly beautiful and we see it in blazing glory through this novel.
April 11, 2022
It was boring in many parts of the book jumped around too much and abruptly ended . It is an interesting book premise wise but I don’t get it .
January 10, 2024
2.5
I assume this takes place in some small fictional town in Africa (I tried "searching the web" for the village names and got nothing), but that's purely based on the dreadlocks that were mentioned a couple of times. I also assume it is some time present or future bc there was mention of phone chargers. It was frustrating to me to not have a handle on the setting. The Grey being contained to this one small village felt like a major plot hole and the resolution at the end seemed too convenient. I did like the way the kids created a new family, but overall I just found it boring and unbelievable.
I assume this takes place in some small fictional town in Africa (I tried "searching the web" for the village names and got nothing), but that's purely based on the dreadlocks that were mentioned a couple of times. I also assume it is some time present or future bc there was mention of phone chargers. It was frustrating to me to not have a handle on the setting. The Grey being contained to this one small village felt like a major plot hole and the resolution at the end seemed too convenient. I did like the way the kids created a new family, but overall I just found it boring and unbelievable.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 6, 2023
Though this book had some parts that were difficult to keep up with due to the narrator (I listened to the audiobook), I thought that the writing felt like poetry. The author was very descriptive, which I liked. I like having a mental picture of exactly what the author envisions when they write. The author created strong young, and resilient characters who navigated the plague with strength and grace. Because we are on the other side of the COVID pandemic, reading this book reminded me of the humanity that still reigns over chaos.
July 28, 2023
Had no clue what to expect going in, and I think that was actually better. This story about family going through a diseased life was intense and I got so attached. I loved seeing how each sibling reacted differently and their lives. It was beautiful, and the way it ended really summed everything up well.
October 13, 2023
3/5: Beautiful in parts but lost overall
Parts of this book are beautifully written and other parts are heart breaking and emotional, but overall the book seems to meander and end a bit like the lives of the people in it. Then there is a section that feels like a reenactment of The Lord of the Flies. I liked the book and many of the characters in it, but there was just something missing that holds me back from giving it a higher rating
Parts of this book are beautifully written and other parts are heart breaking and emotional, but overall the book seems to meander and end a bit like the lives of the people in it. Then there is a section that feels like a reenactment of The Lord of the Flies. I liked the book and many of the characters in it, but there was just something missing that holds me back from giving it a higher rating
July 22, 2023
this was definitely a dark book with a lot of death due to the illness that was spreading in the town, but it also had themes of hope which i liked. i didn’t like how dark it was, but it had a good story? do what you will with it!
February 19, 2024
Great storytelling
While a great deal of the story involves, the Grey, the disease that ravaged the adults of a village, the real story is the characters and their relationships with each other. The writing style is dynamic and I enjoyed this greatly
While a great deal of the story involves, the Grey, the disease that ravaged the adults of a village, the real story is the characters and their relationships with each other. The writing style is dynamic and I enjoyed this greatly
April 3, 2025
This gave a different view of dystopian novels and I thought it gave the idea of Lord of the Flies with no adults and how people were with no rules in place and human nature.
I did however think there were too many people's perspectives so at times I was getting lost with who I was following.
I did however think there were too many people's perspectives so at times I was getting lost with who I was following.
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