Friday, May 22, 2015

Review: Black Iris by Leah Raeder


Title: Black Iris

Author: Leah Raeder

Rating: 4 Stars

I don’t think I can adequately begin to express just how important of a book Black Iris is. I attend an extremely liberal, accepting college but, even then, this novel made me feel less alone and more comfortable in my own skin—and that’s no small feat.

Black Iris is a revenge story, one that I often found difficult to read, but Raeder’s prose is pure magic and it is impossible to stay away from this book for long. While Unteachable was a clear-cut forbidden romance, filled with emotion and romance, Black Iris is its darker, more mysterious cousin. Raeder crafts this novel in such a way that timelines converge, split apart, and shift dramatically. It’s easy to think you know what’s happening or what the end result is or who the victim and perpetrator really are—but, truly, you’ve simply been kept in the dark until the final, all-too-unpredictable reveal. It’s a brilliant feat of writing, this combination of prose and plot, and when you add Raeder’s cutthroat emotion—the kind that seeps into your skin and deep into the pits of your stomach—it is evident that Black Iris is different. It is special.

In all honesty, I do not love this book. I don’t think I could ever read it again—a strange combination of hitting too close to home and not too close at all—but that does not negate the fact that I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of it. More than anything else, I am grateful to Raeder for writing about sexual fluidity; for creating characters who do not fit in any boxes but still manage to find happiness. It is important for readers to be able to pick up a book and find characters they identify with—sexually, and personality-wise. With Unteachable Raeder already made strides in writing an unlikable heroine who, somehow, we manage to root for. With Black Iris, the lines are even more blurred. I do not know if I always rooted for this heroine, but I always respected and supported her decision; I always accepted who she was and her bravery in reaching that place of self-confidence.

Black Iris is best read blind. I hesitate to discuss the plot or the characters or anything, really, with the exception of my feelings. And, oh my, did I feel. I fell for the wrong characters, I rooted for the morally corrupt, I switched sides. There is nothing I love more than a novel that inspires such a wide range of emotion and with Black Iris, that is precisely what you are guaranteed. Leah Raeder, thank you for having the courage to write such an important, meaningful novel. I appreciate your guts and, in particular, you sharing your story in the acknowledgements section. It means more than you can know, perhaps.

10 comments:

  1. I received this book in audio format after hearing nothing but praise for ages, but I am so scared of it! I must have started it five times already, only to end up choosing something else after five minutes. I have a hard time with unlikeable heroines and I really struggle with super realistic books and especially with revenge. But I will read it. I will. Send cupcakes, please.

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  2. I don't think I have seen a bad review for this yet. So happy you really loved it too!

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  3. Oh this sounds fascinating. I hadn't heard of this title before. I'm glad you loved reading it so much, even if it's a book you won't read again. I totally get what you mean there.

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  4. Okay, your review really has me wanting to know more about this book. That fact that you don't love the book but recommend it REALLY has me curious! Must put this one on the wishlist!

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  5. Wow, what a thoroughly convincing and beautifully written review Keertana. To be honest, I almost dismissed this as not my thing because I don't usually do very well with new adult, but I think I'm definitely going to make an exception for this one. Between all the feels and the way you described it making you feel more comfortable in your own skin, I can't wait to experience this for myself. Thanks for sharing!

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  6. OMG this sounds like a unique book that strikes you and I cannot wait to read it!! *-*

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  7. It sounds different and emotional. I haven't read it but it sounds intriguing even if it's only one read time.

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  8. There are books I wouldn't pick up again because I couldn't go through the experience again, but I was enthralled by the story. Same as you, I couldn't really say I "enjoyed" the experience but the story burrowed deep and resonated. Glad to hear that was the case here with you, Keertana. It sounds like a powerful story. Brilliant review! :)

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  9. You are so right about this being best read blind... I didn't even talk about the plot at all in my review! I just went on talking about how much I was affected by it and how much I loved the writing and how much I related to the darkness these characters had. It makes me glad to know I'm not the only one who felt the same way about this book! I loved reading it, but it's something I'd probably read only once, for the same reasons you mentioned. Still amazing, though. That writing, gosh. I'd love for Leah Raeder to write my biography one day :P

    Faye at The Social Potato

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  10. I love your review, Keertana! Such beautifully-written and full of emotions! Black Iris sounds like very powerful and poignant story.

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