[BWF] If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoffery – 3 Stars

[Hannah]

This book is composed of a collection of interconnected short stories about a Jamaican family who have moved to Miami and are trying to navigate a life with the constant threat of destitution and racism. The book does cover a lot of themes, including race, class, financial struggles, abandonment, identity and dysfunctional families, and the short stories do flow together well, with the different stories being told from the perspective of different family members. I felt that the earlier stories were the strongest, but it was a very interesting book showing the lives of a marginalised community within the US.

EXTRAS: Team: Sassy Sisterhood. Extra read for “I”. Matches tag x 6

[KateNZ]

I loved the earlier stories too and then got stuck in the middle. It was heading towards about a three and a half overall for me - I can see why it was shortlisted for the Booker and it’s a good debut but it lost me a little.

I really should use this month to prompt me to finish it!

[NancyJ]

I stalled out in the middle too. I read a lot of books involving immigration, racial identity, and similar topic in the last couple years, so it didn’t have the impact it might have had otherwise.