I must admit this book was a disappointment. I normally love Man Booker shortlisted novels, but this became a slog. Independent (though loosely linked) chapters detail a specific woman – mostly black, mostly non-binary/LGBQT. Each chapter in isolation is well written and interesting. The problem is that with a dozen or so of them, without a running narrative or theme, it’s hard to feel emotion for the women and you end up not particularly caring about them. The book feels like poetry, chapters can be read in any order, but the sum didn’t feel as great as its parts.
Still, I did enjoy the writing, I felt the plot was missing – 4 stars.