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ClareR (5726 KP) rated That Reminds Me in Books

Jul 30, 2020

That Reminds Me

Derek Owusu | 2020 | Fiction & Poetry

9.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

That Reminds Me was a book that immediately made me sit up and take notice. The language is poetic and raw, and that reflects the experience of the main protagonist, K. It’s presented as a series of memories, so some memories are clearer and easier to understand than others - and this is mostly down to the K’s Bipolar disorder, I think, but also down to how we remember our own past. The clearest descriptions seem to be when he is self-harming, drinking and his descriptions of his alcoholism.

K has a very disjointed childhood: he’s taken into care as a small child, in a largely white community, but his foster parents, and in particular his foster mother, seem to take notice of him and spend time with him. This comes to an end when his foster mother dies of lung cancer. K then goes to live in Tottenham with an aunt. Here he is able to explore his Ghanaian roots, whilst living in poverty in a community where knife crime is commonplace, Grime is the music of choice and God rules all.

There is so much in this short book that I could talk about, but then I’m sure that I’d ruin the readers own experience. I think it’s a book that’s well worth reading and experiencing, but be warned: this is not a book that is wholly comfortable or enjoyable. But is it good? Oh yes, it most certainly is.

Kudos

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Casey Watson

9.0 (1 Ratings) Rate It

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The second book from Sunday Times bestselling author Casey Watson. Two weeks after saying farewell...

Far from the Tree

Robin Benway

8.3 (3 Ratings) Rate It

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Perfect for fans of NBC's "This Is Us," Robin Benway’s beautiful interweaving story of three very...

Young Adult

Rachel P (2 KP) rated Orphan Train: A Novel in Books

Jan 4, 2018

I really enjoyed this book. The setting skips between present day, where a girl raised in foster care meets an elderly lady and finds they have a lot in common. The present day chapters are told in third person. The flashback chapters depicting the older lady's childhood is told in first person and spans from her early childhood to mid-twenties.
I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator was very good. There were some parts that were heartbreaking and hard to listen to, but overall, the book was very well-written. There were a few parts of the plot I wish were different, but those parts are what made the book feel more realistic.