Review of Kalayla
-
Akshada Joshi
- Posts: 10
- Joined: 26 May 2021, 13:42
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 10
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-akshada-joshi.html
- Latest Review: Kalayla by Jeannie Nicholas
Review of Kalayla
[Following is a volunteer review of "Kalayla" by Jeannie Nicholas.]
Kalayla by Jeanine Nicholas revolves around the lives of three people with separate stories. The first two people are Maureen and Kalayla, a duo of mother and daughter who are navigating through life after a tragedy related to their husband and father, Jamal. They face multiple challenges due to Maureen and Jamal being an interracial couple. On the other hand, there is Lena who is the landlady of the building where Kalayla and her mother live. She is a 72-year-old businesswoman who can't let go of the past, no matter how hard she tries. This story is about these three women who find themselves in unfavorable situations and help each other come through.
First off, this story was beautiful. This is one of the few books I have read, which really implements the ‘show not tell’ rule. Never while reading this book did I feel that it was too slow-paced, or bland. Jeanine Nicholas does a fabulous job of showing trauma, and how it affects different people differently. It cleverly avoids the extremely common and inaccurate trope of trauma or adverse situations turning a person into a stone wall. Maureen’s circumstances and experiences throw her into a frenzy of emotions, while Kalayla copes by disconnecting. Lena is a whole different story, who threw herself into work and is still working through her life’s 7th decade. She poses as a wise elderly figure for the mother-daughter duo while also sorting her own mess. The side characters all have rich personalities, and still don’t interfere with the protagonists’ development. Every character had a vivid emotional spectrum that is properly explored. Another thing I liked was that the behavior of Kalayla towards different people, especially her family members, doesn’t automatically define her as a typical ‘problem child’. None of the characters can be divided into arbitrary personality types. The story also explores racism and misogyny during the late 20th century and early 21st century. The reason for all the suffering of Kalayla and her mother roots from the cruelty of the racist mindset of people. The author appropriately showcases the role misogyny and sexism play in the lives Of these women. In the end, everyone’s character arc is extremely satisfying, but in my personal opinion, Maureen’s arc is the most prominent. I absolutely loved this book and would have loved to read more, which I think is an extremely positive sign about the quality of the novel.
I didn’t find anything wrong with the book, except that I would have liked to know more about each character, which could have been made possible without the book being too long if only it was written a little differently. Another thing would be that it could have been edited better.
I give this book 3 out of 4 stars. The points made in the 2nd paragraph explain this in close detail. The negative points I mentioned make a difference in the rating I have given to this book and prevent me from giving it a perfect rating.
The suitable audience for this book would be 18 and above/ mature 16+ teenagers due to mentions of abuse/attempted rape.
******
Kalayla
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Kalayla by Jeanine Nicholas revolves around the lives of three people with separate stories. The first two people are Maureen and Kalayla, a duo of mother and daughter who are navigating through life after a tragedy related to their husband and father, Jamal. They face multiple challenges due to Maureen and Jamal being an interracial couple. On the other hand, there is Lena who is the landlady of the building where Kalayla and her mother live. She is a 72-year-old businesswoman who can't let go of the past, no matter how hard she tries. This story is about these three women who find themselves in unfavorable situations and help each other come through.
First off, this story was beautiful. This is one of the few books I have read, which really implements the ‘show not tell’ rule. Never while reading this book did I feel that it was too slow-paced, or bland. Jeanine Nicholas does a fabulous job of showing trauma, and how it affects different people differently. It cleverly avoids the extremely common and inaccurate trope of trauma or adverse situations turning a person into a stone wall. Maureen’s circumstances and experiences throw her into a frenzy of emotions, while Kalayla copes by disconnecting. Lena is a whole different story, who threw herself into work and is still working through her life’s 7th decade. She poses as a wise elderly figure for the mother-daughter duo while also sorting her own mess. The side characters all have rich personalities, and still don’t interfere with the protagonists’ development. Every character had a vivid emotional spectrum that is properly explored. Another thing I liked was that the behavior of Kalayla towards different people, especially her family members, doesn’t automatically define her as a typical ‘problem child’. None of the characters can be divided into arbitrary personality types. The story also explores racism and misogyny during the late 20th century and early 21st century. The reason for all the suffering of Kalayla and her mother roots from the cruelty of the racist mindset of people. The author appropriately showcases the role misogyny and sexism play in the lives Of these women. In the end, everyone’s character arc is extremely satisfying, but in my personal opinion, Maureen’s arc is the most prominent. I absolutely loved this book and would have loved to read more, which I think is an extremely positive sign about the quality of the novel.
I didn’t find anything wrong with the book, except that I would have liked to know more about each character, which could have been made possible without the book being too long if only it was written a little differently. Another thing would be that it could have been edited better.
I give this book 3 out of 4 stars. The points made in the 2nd paragraph explain this in close detail. The negative points I mentioned make a difference in the rating I have given to this book and prevent me from giving it a perfect rating.
The suitable audience for this book would be 18 and above/ mature 16+ teenagers due to mentions of abuse/attempted rape.
******
Kalayla
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Kalayla by Jeannie Nicholas
