PositiveLos Angeles Review of BooksArezu’s narration captures the complexity of how a mind learns to cope. Fragmented memories surface in each chapter, receding and returning numerous times, coming into sharper focus with each pass. This attention to narrative, executed so diligently, allows the reader to witness a mind carefully excavating buried violence ... Oloomi’s novel examines trauma in a multifaceted way, her characters displaying a layered complexity and their social relationships revealing rich dimensions ... We witness numerous layers of destruction in this novel, whether of a homeland, of safety, even of personal autonomy ... Oloomi’s latest novel arrives at a pivotal crossroads in our cultural history, with the #MeToo movement urging a confrontation with buried sexual traumas, inviting us to look back, to dive deeper, to question forgetfulness and comforting memories. Savage Tongues does all of that and more.
J. Nicole Jones
RaveChicago Review of BooksStarting with the narrator’s account of seeing the ghost of a woman she once knew, we are pulled into the depths of a landscape made vivid through its densely layered stories. Jones takes this responsibility seriously, as she carefully uncovers detail after detail of her experience of South Carolina, providing a more dynamic sense of setting. In addition to gaining leeway by including the supernatural, Jones also takes liberties with embellishing the story ... Jones’ attention to language is what makes this memoir a stunning read ... At times amusing and other times heartbreaking, her care with language shines through in every page ... Jones provides a brilliant look into the cracks of a family, channeling the folktales and sayings from her ancestors, and bringing them to the page ... The trauma passed down through Jones’ line is fraught, but her storytelling conveys compassion to the characters that helped shape her life.
Nadia Owusu
RaveLos Angeles Review of BooksFor a young woman whose foundations were shaken several times in her life — including numerous moves to locales with literal tectonic rumblings along with the more metaphorical tremors of civil unrest — [Owusu\'s] approach effectively portrays the inner angst of individuals who have grown up amid trauma and have learned to be vigilant, to read the slightest shifts as foreboding. Owusu’s narrative deftly demonstrates a keen sense of others’ emotional states ... It takes a skillful hand to weave complex concepts so seamlessly into a narrative, and Owusu executes this masterfully. By relating the events of her upbringing, she is also telling the story of her father and the history of the countries that had become home to her ... While Owusu displays a reverence for her background, she also addresses some potentially harmful cultural practices ... Unable to find stable ground, Owusu centers her narrative on her body, which she brilliantly reclaims in these sections ... you will journey across countries, hear numerous languages, and feel how deep a loss can go.