Review - "Anger Is A Gift"

Anger is a Gift
by Mark Oshiro
rating: ☆
published: 22nd May 2018
spoilers? yeah, fairly major one

Goodreads

Galley provided by publisher

I really need to start a shelf which sorts books into the category of "it's not you, it's me" because this is one of those ones. I figure the best way to get through this review is by listing the good and bad things so, here we go.

THE GOOD

- The diversity! The cast of characters in this book was fairly diverse, especially in terms of the LGBT community being represented, which was great to see. And I really did like most of the characters a lot.

- Moss and Javier were cute, though perhaps their relationship progressed a bit fast, but I get why it did for the plot. (I also get why That had to happen, but I'm not happy about it.)

THE BAD

- The writing was, not objectively bad bad, because obviously people have really loved it, but for me it was cringey, and at times felt like the author was trying too hard to be relatable and down with the kids. And, yeah, at times I did think it was straight up bad so, that too.

- Because the writing was bad, my enjoyment of the book plummeted, if I'm honest. The writing is what makes or breaks a book for me first off. Characters are secondary - I can get through a book with unlikeable characters alright if the writing is good, but a book with bad writing becomes a slog, no matter how much I like the characters.

- Another personal quibble I had: the use of the q-slur as a blanket term. So, sure, reclaim it for yourself, but I hate having to read it as a blanket term. It's actually started making me feel sick seeing it so, that wasn't fun when it showed up in this book.

- I wouldn't say this book is bury your gays, but a gay character does die in it. I understand why that had to happen - Moss needs a catalyst for his anger to surface properly, and it was never not going to be a death when you consider the subject matter of the book, and it had to be someone he loved, which leaves his mother, his best friend, and his boyfriend. But yeah. I doesn't mean I had to like it.

- At one point, an ace character compared her struggles to those of a lesbian character, which felt really uncomfortable. Firstly, they're not the same, no matter who's comparing them. Secondly, and more majorly, I don't feel like it's Mark Oshiro's place to be making that statement of comparison. He did similar things with women making comments about men being trash and all too, and it just felt uncomfortable. Like when a straight author has their gay characters make comments about straight people. It just doesn't feel right.

So yeah. Overall, my one word review for this book would probably, unfortunately, have to be: disappointing.