Shut Up You're Pretty

by Téa Mutonji, Jemeni (Narrator)

In Téa Mutonji's disarming debut story collection, a woman contemplates her Congolese traditions during a family wedding, a teenage girl looks for happiness inside a pack of cigarettes, a mother reconnects with her daughter through their shared interest in fish, and a young woman decides to shave her head in the waiting room of an abortion clinic. These punchy, sharply observed stories blur the lines between longing and choosing, exploring the narrator's experience as an involuntary one. Tinged with pathos and humour, they interrogate the moments in which femininity, womanness, and identity are not only questioned but also imposed.

Shut Up You're Pretty is the first book to be published under the imprint VS. Books, a series of books curated and edited by writer-musician Vivek Shraya featuring work by new and emerging Indigenous or Black writers, or writers of colour.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Canada, Contemporary, Audiobook, LGBT, Queer

5 pages, Audiobook

First published April 1, 2019

About the author

Téa Mutonji is a Canadian author. She was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo but came to Canada at a young age. She grew up in in Scarborough and Oshawa. She studied media studies and creative writing at the University of Toronto Scarborough.

Reviews

[Catherine Hernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book asks us to witness the journey of a girl into womanhood, holding in her arms the fragile understandings of femininity as a commodity, femininity as a caretaker, femininity as a storyteller. Dulled by the residue of trauma and sharpened by the expectations of the streets, Téa’s characters are painfully and beautifully rendered in this gritty must-read novel.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shut Up You’re Pretty by Tea Mutonji is a very good book that discusses a lot of important issues.

Shut Up You’re Pretty is a collection of stories about a Congolese girl and her family that immigrate to Canada and goes through her becoming a woman. The description makes it sound like Shut Up You’re Pretty is about different women. However, it is actually all about the same person from girlhood to becoming a woman.

Shut Up You’re Pretty starts with Loli having a buzz cut. She came to Canada with a male passport so had to shave her head. When she meets her best friend, Joli, Joli asks if she is a boy or a girl. This sets the stage for the gender issues and sexual identity that comes up many times in Shut Up You’re Pretty. This short series collection really demonstrates feminism and the importance of feminism. Shut Up You’re Pretty has multiple forms of sexual experimentation and sex workers. Teen pregnancy is also represented.

Shut Up You’re Pretty discusses many important issues. Shut Up You’re Pretty discusses race issues with the main character being a poor black woman. Loli and her family are also immigrants which brings its own difficulties.

Shut Up You’re Pretty also contains drug use, depression, and suicide. Shut Up You’re Pretty contains characters with eating disorders.

I’m sure you can tell from my description so far that this is an intense book. So many difficult topics were discussed, but Mutonji did a fantastic job expresses the issues in a way that didn’t downplay the issue but also didn’t make it difficult to read being overly descriptive. I am so glad I read Shut Up You’re Pretty. I felt like I really got a look into a life that is completely different than mine even though it’s a fictional story.

From the beginning of the story I really liked Loli and wanted her to have a good life and be happy. Of course this made parts of the story more difficult to read. I also loved her interactions with Joli and how their relationship changed over the years. Their relationship was very realistic. I felt like everything about this book which was my favorite part. I can’t believe this was Mutonji’s debut story collection and can’t wait to read more of her work in the future.

I listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed it. I thought Jemeni did a great job narrating and really set the tone for the story.

I really enjoyed Shut Up You’re Pretty. I recommend it to fans of Brit Bennett and fans of Red at the Bone because they made me feel the same. I would not recommend this to anyone that is triggered or uncomfortable with drugs, teen pregnancy, eating disorders, depression, and sexual exploration.

Thank you NetGalley and Bespeak Audio Editions for Shut Up You’re Pretty.

[Jillian B · Rating 4 out of 5]

The short stories in this book narrate the life of one Congolese-Canadian young woman as she faces poverty, racism and abuse. Overall, this was a tough but compelling read, with heartbreaking moments that will stick with me, as well as moments of dark humour. Definitely look up content warnings before reading this one, but I’m personally glad I read it.

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Taking place in Scarborough, Ontario, this is a series of vignettes about Loli, a Congolese girl who accompanies her mother and brother and meets up with her father in Canada. The stories are the coming of age of a young woman who is confronted with many different sexual encounters and relationships in her neighborhood.

One thing I shared at bookclub was that as I perused different interviews with the author and critical reviews, I couldn't relate to the suggestion that Loli was a character readers could connect to, quite the opposite as I found her metallic and detached when relating her experiences. Perhaps I am just too innocent to "get it?"


Goodreads review published 24/11/19

[Mel (Epic Reading) · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very unique way to tell pieces of one girls story that entirely consists of her trying to keep her head above water. It includes commentary on virginity, prostitution, abortion, depression, friendship by users, and so much more!
I need some time to digest these impactful snippets of life. All written in a very realistic way: blood, semen, and urine included. Because let’s face it, life is messy.

[chantel nouseforaname · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love a book set in Scarborough/Toronto. You can feel everything, see everything. Especially if you're from the city. You can let the book walk you down the street.

I think Téa Mutonji's writing is beautiful. She writes with so much emotion and so much passion. Her main character Loli, you really go on her life's journey with her. You feel the pain of feeling secondary, her confusion and then realization of her power. You feel her feeling never quite enough and bouncing around looking for something while making that money. You feel her heartbreak and her wonder as she experiences her body alongside that of her friend and eventually through the gaze of the boys and eventually men that she immerses herself in. You feel how she begins to question those viewpoints and start to work towards moving away from the gaze that is not her own. You realize it all starts from somewhere.

I feel like sex work and the easy entry of girls and women into this field was opened up even further to the public in this book and it was thoroughly exposed as it should be. I feel like there were also a lot of questions about the levels we need to go through as people to really find healing in our lives.

The switching and the movement through her ages and homes were cut and presented in such weird shapes. Probably because they were presented alongside the people she was currently with in each new segment of the book.

I really love how Téa Mutonji wrote the character of Jonas. Isn't there always a fucking Jonas. I swear to god I was reading that whole book-titled chapter like: smelling Jonas, living that experience through Loli's eyes, ruminating, knowing how I felt about the Jonases that I've known. I loved the part of the story, but I didn't like the hoops I had to jump through to get there, some of the story line felt a little disjointed.

Overall, it was a good debut effort!

[Helin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Canada Reads 2024 Book 1 of 5

You guys...I'm sorry but this really wasn't for me. The only reason I finished it was because I was at the passport office this morning and I had it on audio while I waited.

Personally, I would not call this a "short story collection" as CBC Books is listing it so if that's what you are looking for, this isn't it. It followed the same characters with the same protagonist and there was a linear timeline. Maybe I'm missing something, but it was just a short novel with...chapters? Sure it might have started with the author writing independent stories but so do a lot of other novels. I feel misled about the book I was picking up.

As for the plot, I hated it. There were a lot of difficult topics in the book; topics I don't shy away from or avoid including sexual assault, suicide, domestic abuse, abortion, and drug use, none of which were covered in a way that held importance. I was frustrated by how everything felt overused and surface-level.

I approached this book expecting stories with different protagonists or stories told from different points of view from different women. Had each "story" been told from the perspective of a different woman throughout this book like Joli, Gigi, Loli's mother or cousin, or any of the other women from later in the book, it would have been so much stronger. All the stories could have remained about Loli and more depth and variety could have been offered from the different perspectives.

I'm very curious to see how this is defended during the debates.

[Jenny (Reading Envy) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book from the VS. Books Imprint at Arsenal Pulp, headed up by Vivek Shraya, who created the imprint to "create more inter­generational dialogue and support for artists of colour. Each year, Vivek offers a mentorship opportunity for a young writer who is Indigenous, Black, or a person of colour, as well as a publishing contract with Arsenal Pulp Press under the VS. Books imprint." I didn't know that when I requested the review copy, just thought the title was funny.

All the stories come from a strong voice, are not very long, and end powerfully.

Some of my favorites:

The Boy from My Youth
"I love this so much about men. How they can hate a woman and still want them." - and then the ending paragraph is great.

The Common Room
"I was relieved when he died. It felt like this huge rock I didn't even know I was carrying had suddenly lifted, just like, fucking flew out of my chest, you know? Like, no more suffering, no more hiding. Everyone free?"

Men, Tricks, and Money
The sex worker/therapist from Guyana is a memorable character.

I received a copy of this collection from the publisher through Edelweiss. It came out April 1, 2019.

[CaseyTheCanadianLesbrarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written, honest, and gritty in a way that never felt performative or indulgent or trauma porn-y, this collection of linked short stories offers snippets of a girl then young woman's life from her family's immigration to Canada from Congo as a kid to her mid-20s. I loved how the stories spotlighted her complicated friendships with women, especially her tween BFF Joli and uni roommate Patty. I'll be thinking about this line for a long time: "The next morning he was still dead but not like an exclamation point, like a set of ellipsises". Oh Loli, I hope you are okay now ❤️

Content warnings for suicide, sexual assault, drugs, drinking, abortion

[Sofia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t like it at all tbh. I listened to the audiobook on Spotify which was kinda short (4 hours) which was good I guess. It’s a few short stories about a girl coming of age who has a few different sexual encounters and relationships.

I dont have a problem with reading/listening to books about sex or books that includes spicy scenes, BUT I get uncomfortable when the characters are too young and they are very young here! I understand that children and teens do it but it was a lot of in here. Also the book basically starts with her neighbor forcing her to let him touch her breasts :)

I couldn’t connect to the character/characters at all and honestly dont think a lot of people do but maybe Im wrong. Maybe I’m just a bit too innocent for this. also I didn’t understand how Loli really got into drugs, I felt like that happened really fast and she was suddenly addicted.

I wanted something to happen that would make it all come together and make it make sense but it never happened

[Margaryta · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of those rare moments when I don't know how I feel about a book. I neither loved nor hated "Shut Up You're Pretty." I agree with other reviewers who said it reads really easily; Mutonji's writing grabs your attention and carries it, although I think it would've worked a bit better if it was framed more as an experimental novel than as a series of short stories BECAUSE of how interconnected each of the pieces was. Similarly, the content of this book can be hard to stomach at times and makes the reader really sit with it for a bit, to consider the implications and issues that Mutonji raises but doesn't always neatly articulate to avoid being neat and easy about it. For me, Mutonji's debut felt like a dialogue with my own immigrant experience, which had some similarities but was largely different and not just in the east vs west of the city kind of way. There was something familiar despite all the differences that really drew me into "Shut Up You're Pretty."

At the same time, I felt a kind of discomfort that I've only experienced once before with a book, which was Dionne Brand's "What We All Long For." My discomfort and anger was much more visceral in that case though, whereas there was something about Mutonji's book that simply weighed on me and made me wonder if it's just my own preconceptions and prejudices that are coming to light from somewhere deep within. I guess it's because "Shut Up You're Pretty" puts its reader in a position where it's tempting to judge the choices of the speaker and some of the characters, to wonder if things could have been avoided or gone differently. I wonder if other readers have had this experience. Either way, Mutonji's debut is heavy despite how quick and light-footed the prose itself is. I'm glad Mutonji put me into such an uncomfortable and conflicted position, because there seem to be few things worse than being emotionless after finishing a book. I know I LIKED "Shut Up You're Pretty" but it's a very vague kind of sensation that will stay with me for a while, because more than a simple love/hate response, Mutonji made me sit, think, and reflect, and that is the best thing a book can do.

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the author's debut novel of interconnected stories about a young girl's coming of age after moving from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Scarborough, Ontario, Canada.
The stories deal with poverty, femininity and identity.

[Deirdre Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Téa Mutonji’s debut collection of stories has that rare distinction of being one of only a handful of books I have wanted to chuck in the trash. I rarely hate a book but I do hate this one. I can offer only a cursory analysis as to why as I don’t want to waste more energy on Shut Up, You’re Pretty than I already have. I am disappointed in this writer whose obvious flare for characterization, setting, atmosphere and dialogue — most evident in the first story, Tits for Cigs, a tale about how two 13 year old girls in a low rent Toronto neighbourhood barter their bodies for equally cheap corner store commodities — is squandered on stories that lack a clear sense of purpose other than to wallow in shallow pools of depravity. The theme of sex for sale continues apace but then runs amok with no moral guidelines. The lack of accountability bothered me. The main character is adrift in an amoral universe but why? What is it that makes her want to become a prostitute/drug addict/lousy daughter and friend? She’s a refugee but so what? That’s not a one way ticket to the dark side of life. There’s no hope, no chance at redemption. The character looms like a dark hole and reading about her you feel yourself getting sucked into her inner morass. I didn’t want to go there so I fought back— which might explain why I ended up so fiercely negative about the whole experience.

[sk · Rating 1 out of 5]

An incredibly uncomfortable read. Everything feels dark, slimy and highly sexual; every character is bleak and not quite likeable.

There’s a detached hopelessness to our narrator, Loli, that I found incredibly off putting and couldn’t put my finger on why. I’ve realized it’s because I think there is a deep feeling of the male gaze that permeates this entire book. She appears soulless other than as a sexual object who wishes to degrade herself; she has no other real wants or desires. At first I thought this was trauma, but she doesn’t really show any other signs of it. It makes her unreliable as a narrator, which adds another level of discomfort. As well, the people she encounters do not feel real. All they want with her is sex and control, and they don’t get much development as their own characters.

Overall, it feels like this book was written with the intentions to write a feminist novel, but was then written from a place of subconscious internal misogyny that made it incredibly not-feminist. It worries me because, if someone without much knowledge of feminism read this, it would appear to them as proof of everything they have been taught. That women ask for it, that they exist only for sex, that they have no real individual thoughts or feelings.

The aspect of this book I liked most, though, is the subtle way that the relationships in Loli’s life are portrayed, through the little degrading but seemingly well-meaning comments they say, and the way that she worships every new person she spends time with. It’s very well-done, realistic, and relatable. It felt especially characteristic of growing up as a POC girl. We can see the signs that the people around her are manipulating her and keeping her around for the wrong reasons, while she struggles to see this.

It reminded me a bit of something Toni Morrison might write, but less tactfully done, in my opinion. I did like the ending, and thought it at least tied things up in a decent way, but also it came out of left field with the downhill way the book was going.

I just did not enjoy any moment of reading this. I didn’t hate it and I kind of see the intention, but I think it was poorly executed. I don’t really feel anything deep inside as a result of finishing, other than just icky.

[Daniel Grenier · Rating 4 out of 5]

« I tried not to make everything about sex, every act of kindness, every well-wish, every hello. But you go through life being touched, you go through life being looked at, you go through life with an uncle commenting on your breasts, or your brother’s friend giving you a condom for your birthday then denying it, you go through life being called a cunt on public transportation, you go through life being followed at midnight, you go through life being told you’re pretty, you’re pretty, you’re so fucking pretty – it gets complicated. » (54)

[K · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the most horrible, brilliant and freeing compilation of 'short stories' I've ever read.

I'm speechless.

I didn't say the first line for attention, somehow this book manages to touch on every trigger warning: sexual assault, depression, domestic abuse, grief, abortion, suicide, pedophilia... a hard read, but I think, a necessary one.

Shut Up, You're Pretty, isn't a disjointed compilation of short stories, rather akin to a novella centring on Loli, a Black, Congolese immigrant as she settles in her new home in Scarborough/Toronto. We follow Loli from the ages 13-26. And there is so much trauma condensed into the 13 years. Loli partakes in unspeakable things, and is subjected to worse. And the prose is gutting, I felt nauseous reading some sections. I had physical reactions to what I was reading both joy and hurt. Mutonji is also a poet. I could tell. Her writing was so raw and accessible that even if you don't relate to the specific situation Loli finds herself in, you're nonetheless deeply affected.

What is Shut Up, You're Pretty?

It is a portrayal of the compulsion we feel to be 'okay' but more than that-- it is permission to mourn.

I've spent the last day and a half fighting the urge to burst into tears. And I need to sort out my thoughts because there's so much hurt I'm trying to process all at once. I grew up in a Conservative province in Canada where I felt every bit of my Blackness, and that does something to you. Even now that I'm older and I know better I cannot shake feelings of inadequacy. I was taught that I wasn't desirable, and if I was, that I was an exception. Women, as the book artfully illustrates, are often reduced to our beauty, but as a Black woman I wasn't even allowed that. It was horrible. It was sad. I'm sad. And I can say that. Reading this book and seeing various traumas reflected back to me I feel like I've been given permission to mourn. Something happened to me when I read the line, "I'm just not attracted to black women." I have heard that so so so so many times in my life.

I think it's easy to feel that there's a specific audience for this message, that you have to belong to a certain community to get it, but really when we strip trauma to its rawest forms the base is the same; The desire to be loved. The need to be seen. And fear, so much fear.

Through Loli we realize how caught up we are in being 'fine', that we don't acknowledge the wounds we have been carrying. This book gives you time to reflect. There's a sort of desperation to all the stories that leave you with an urge of seeking, wanting something... anything. The stories are graphic. I don't want to mince words on that, but it's not frivolous, Mutonji's writing wouldn't allow that. I know I've made this story out to be a dismal lesson on sadness, and trauma and all the things that make life seem hopeless. But there is so much hope in this book. Each and every character keeps going for the hope of something better. And the female relationships Loli has, specifically her relationship with Patty was warm, and soft. As a reader you realize the love she's looking for she has right in front of her. It was beautiful. Also some sections were laugh-out-loud funny.

In one of the sections Loli reflects on something one of her exes told her, "He said I knocked like someone who didn't want to be greeted." WHO SAYS THAT? T_T WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN. and so much of the dialogue between Loli and her friends has similar quick humour moments. Because despite what it may seem Loli isn't a victim of her circumstances, she is smart and witty, a true three-dimensional character.

Also, the social commentary. Also, I loved this. Also, everything. Also PUT THIS ON YOUR TBR and READ IT. Also, Also, Also endlessly. This book leaves you with that kind of feeling.

You will likely find some part of yourself in this book. Hidden in the subtext, or glaring at you in the actual words. And when you do listen, and remember; we all deserve permission to mourn.
I cried. I'm crying. I hope you do too.

[Just A Girl With Spirit · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars.

I went into this book blind, not having any foreknowledge of what it might be about. This book was deep, and covered intense topics. It’s a collection of different stories about a girl that was an immigrant from Congolese to Canada, and covers a time span about a girl growing into adulthood. This book covers topics such as sexual identity, experimentation, teen pregnancy, depression, suicide, and of course race issues, and several more topics. I appreciate how the issues weren’t watered down, but hit head on in these short stories. Reading stories such as these make me appreciate the life that I have and the experiences. Even though I’ve been through different things in life, it doesn’t by any means compare to these.

[Ashley Daviau · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection was SO damn good. There’s not a single story I didn’t love and that’s so rare for me when reading short story collections. It’s queer and sad and beautiful and just EVERYTHING. I’m very much looking forward to more from this author.

[Carrie Ford-Jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am always excited to read the Canada Reads contenders, knowing I will get to experience a wide range of stories and hopefully learn and grow from what I’ve read. Unfortunately I am really struggling to see how this book will be the ‘2024 book to carry us forward.’

It’s meant to be a coming of age story of immigrating to Canada, a vast cultural adjustment and obvious poverty growing up in one of Scarborough’s struggling neighborhoods by a clearly gifted writer. It quickly lost the plot, focusing instead on story after story of under aged sex work and detailed sexual encounters. There is no clear understanding of what parts of her story got her to that place, nor any constructive messaging, hope for healing or prevention or improvement for herself or for anyone else in a similar situation. It’s graphic and gratuitous and leaves little room for much else in an already quite short book. It ends with a VERY brief circle back to her heritage and upbringing that would have been helpful to see more of throughout the story.

I read a review by another reader that described my feelings more succinctly: “There were a lot of difficult topics in the book; topics I don’t shy away from or avoid, including sexual assault, suicide, domestic abuse, abortion, and drug use, none of which were covered in a way that held importance.” This, I believe, was the problem.

I look forward to seeing this book defended in the debates because I’ve had my mind changed before, and it could happen again, but I would need a really compelling literary analysis to show me why this is the book that all of Canada should read because I can’t think of anyone I would feel good about recommending it to.

[❀ Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series of linked short stories was gritty and raw. It is sad to think about the struggles of teens and young g adults as they live in public housing and try to fit in. It causes readers to reflect on what others have dealt with, struggle through and overcome. It highlights that throughout the challenges, there is resilience and a capacity to move forward despite hardships. As an adult, it is hard to think of youth dealing with these adult issues and this should lead to interesting discussions on Canada reads.

[Zuri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a wild ride. I was thinking of giving this 3 stars pretty much the whole time reading but when I closed the book I was like okay that was good. Mutonji is a fantastic writer. I don’t read a lot of fiction but when I do I prefer short stories collection, and I’ll likely check out whatever she puts out next. This isn’t a typical collection, each story is abt the same character, Loli, a Congolese immigrant to Canada, and it does move in a linear way where the first story/chapter is her as a kid and she grows up by the end. Massive TW for this, sexual violence (pedophilia), drug abuse, suicide, domestic violence, honestly I didn’t have any idea of that going in (this was a gift) and it was overwhelming. The character of Loli also centered men (I don’t even think she was straight tho) in an unhealthy obsessive way that I’m sure is realistic, but for me I was just like... really...? couldn't be me! at some of her choices. Kind of reminded me of Transcendent Kingdom, getting into the twisted mind of an African immigrant woman.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read my full review on my blog, ReadingMaria.

All of the stories tie in well with each other, and the characters we meet along the way are all vital in their own way. I really admire how resourceful our narrator is; we see her go from one fall back to the next, and it was inspiring seeing her growth (despite her bad decisions).

Any Canadian Literature supporter would enjoy this book – especially those who have been interested in authors from Scarborough, like Carrianne Leung, Adrian De Leon, Catherine Hernandez and others.

[Kasia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book does not read as a collection of short stories but more as a through-line narrative about a young Congolese woman growing up in Toronto. It handles difficult subject matter with honesty and resilience. Would highly recommend

[Sarah Cavar · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a powerful collection of small stories following the arc of a girlhood and young womanhood. There’s a particular grittiness throughout that is not gratuitous or performative but observational, memoiristic. It works well, and Mutonji’s voice is one I’ll be watching for sure.

[Hannah (hngisreading) · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very challenging coming-of-age. Explicit & heartbreaking. I’m not 100% sure I enjoyed this. It is very intense right off the bat with heavy themes.

[Eve · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 ⭐️

[Fadwa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Idk.

[Kimberley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Every woman’s journey to figuring out who she is, and how she deserves to be loved, is different. There’s no right or wrong way to get to those points, but if the starting point is littered with traumatic experiences and overwhelming confusion, as to what love is supposed to look like, then it can be messy.

This collection represents a microcosm, of sorts, of the ways in which the messiness can hinder the process of a woman “becoming” something more than a source of pleasure—sexual or otherwise—for the world to use, abuse, and then dispose of; its intense and filled with lots of raw emotional angst.

Every chapter isn’t captivating and, despite the description, this appears to follow one woman’s start, from early adolescence to young womanhood.

Her struggle isn’t one of insecurity about the physical—she knows she’s “pretty”—but she’s trying to find an identity outside of the male gaze and it’s ...a challenge; no one wants to truly “see” her because they’re fascinated by the package, as opposed to the frailties within.

As a result, there’s a lot of desperation in her approach to finding someone to love her for more than what she is, and what she offers, physically.

There’s a lot to unpack and, honestly, I’ve not had the time to do so before attempting to write this review.

I’ll end by stating this is a collection about the importance of loving yourself and not allowing the noise of the world to either 1) distract you from what’s important or 2) define your worth.

[2TReads · Rating 3 out of 5]

-Olivia had gotten into these sober parties as a new way to meet "normal women". You know the kind—broken but not finished, down on their knees but not yet weeping. Pretty but not pretty enough to be feared-.
🌺🌺🌺🌺
Tea Mutonji has written a collection of short stories that centres girlhood, womanhood and femininity in Shut Up You're Pretty. Loli comes of age in these stories and explores sexual expressions, friendships, romantic entanglements, complex familial ties and the power of being a woman as well as the reality of existing in a society that imposes certain expectations of being woman.
🌺🌺🌺🌺
The stories are rarely light and most see Loli placing herself in unsafe situations, relationships that are one-sided or that are established only as a means to an end. These are a clear indication to the reader of how much or little she values herself and at the conclusion, all we want is for Loli to finally heal and reconcile. There were shocking and funny moments that impressed upon this reader how familiar a story this was. A girl on her own journey of becoming, having had a less than fulfilling relationship with her father and detached, only necessary interactions with her mother.
🌺🌺🌺🌺
Real, gritty and dark, with wisps of light laced throughout. A noteworthy debut.

[Heather(Gibby) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very heart wrenching collection of short stories showing the struggles of am immigrant girl living in the housing projects of Scarborough trying to fit in and make it. Despite her intelligence and good looks, Loli lives a life of promiscuity and substance abuse trying to find a way of making it through life. The stories jump through different points in Loli's life and the reader is sometime left with a pretty big gap in wondering how Loli got to certain places in her life.

Overall it is very well written and tackles some really weighty subjects that are easy to ignore when you are not faced with them. The author takes these issues and puts them right square in the readers' face.