Special thanks to the author & @celadonbooks for my gifted copy‼️

This was such an interesting and creative read literally like nothing I’ve read before. There was this perfect blend between the past and the present and reality against magical realism to the point you couldn’t tell what was real and what wasn’t. My initial reaction to the book had me a bit confused so I gave it 3.75 ⭐️ but after sitting with my thoughts for a while I can say it at least deserves 4⭐️. 

In the novel the narrator was unnamed which I’ve only seen happen once before in another book I read. Everything flowed so well that knowing who the main character was by name didn’t add nor take away from the story. 

From the very beginning you’re pulled in as the narrator is attending his son’s funeral. My thoughts were immediately drawn to what happened with his son. But as the book continues our MC becomes aware he’s inherited some land from his white grandfather. What he wasn’t immediately aware of was the land was a former plantation that still housed a few corpses of the enslaved. 

Trying to get a handle on his grief and owning this new property our narrator goes into a downward spiral. Suppressed emotions, dealing with grief, and the guilt he has bottled up about his son caused him to relapse and begin drinking again. I felt a lot of the mystical energy and supernatural experiences he encountered were an adverse effect of his drinking and mental state. The ending of the book is what really got me because I can’t say whether he commits suicide or actually turned into a jelly fish or maybe he imagined he did. This is one of those books that leaves room for the reader to create their own assumptions. 

Overall, this was oddly satisfying I highly recommend reading with an open mind. It may come off confusing but the more you read the more you understand the authors direction. He touched on a few themes including addiction, the guilt surrounding forgiveness, father and son relationships, the effects divorce have on children, and ancestral legacy. 

Rating: 3.75-4/5⭐️