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The Blue Is Where God Lives
Sharon Sochil Washington’s The Blue Is Where God Lives is a mesmerizing, powerful work of Afro-magic realism that reclaims the promise of a family’s destiny through the bending of time.
Blue’s daughter, Tsitra, is dying a violent and horrific death while, thousands of miles away, Blue feels time slowing and hears voices, followed by a stillness that befalls her for 18 months.
More than a century before, Blue’s grandparents Amanda and Palmer attend a salon party in New Orleans. It’s a veritable who’s who within pre–Civil War social circles. Conversations get heated quickly as Ismay, the hostess who hails from French royalty—and who is the daughter of one of the most ruthless and wealthy slaveholders—antagonizes Palmer, a landowner and slaveholder himself whose parents had been sold into American slavery and who’s there to seek revenge, and Amanda, a shape-shifter and puzzle maker who had been enslaved until this very gathering. At this party, Amanda learns of a cosmic plot that will doom a line of her and Palmer’s family to poverty, so she devises her own counterplot to undo the damage.
Back in the present, Blue comes out of her stillness, broke and devoid of inspiration. In profound grief and consumed by guilt, Blue travels to The Ranch where the voices grow louder and she has visions of two women from the distant past. There, Blue feels the spark of a power and creative energy she has only glimpsed . . . but can it change her future?
A time-bending novel of invention grounded in the real, The Blue Is Where God Lives obliterates the space between past and present and asks whether belief, magic, and intention can forge new realities. With lush, captivating prose, intricate plotting, and unforgettable characters, The Blue Is Where God Lives is a transcendent, electrifying debut of undeniable beauty and possibility that heralds the arrival of a major new voice in fiction.
Blue’s daughter, Tsitra, is dying a violent and horrific death while, thousands of miles away, Blue feels time slowing and hears voices, followed by a stillness that befalls her for 18 months.
More than a century before, Blue’s grandparents Amanda and Palmer attend a salon party in New Orleans. It’s a veritable who’s who within pre–Civil War social circles. Conversations get heated quickly as Ismay, the hostess who hails from French royalty—and who is the daughter of one of the most ruthless and wealthy slaveholders—antagonizes Palmer, a landowner and slaveholder himself whose parents had been sold into American slavery and who’s there to seek revenge, and Amanda, a shape-shifter and puzzle maker who had been enslaved until this very gathering. At this party, Amanda learns of a cosmic plot that will doom a line of her and Palmer’s family to poverty, so she devises her own counterplot to undo the damage.
Back in the present, Blue comes out of her stillness, broke and devoid of inspiration. In profound grief and consumed by guilt, Blue travels to The Ranch where the voices grow louder and she has visions of two women from the distant past. There, Blue feels the spark of a power and creative energy she has only glimpsed . . . but can it change her future?
A time-bending novel of invention grounded in the real, The Blue Is Where God Lives obliterates the space between past and present and asks whether belief, magic, and intention can forge new realities. With lush, captivating prose, intricate plotting, and unforgettable characters, The Blue Is Where God Lives is a transcendent, electrifying debut of undeniable beauty and possibility that heralds the arrival of a major new voice in fiction.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published April 11, 2023
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3439 people want to read
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March 9, 2023I do not know how to review this book at all. (Shocking, right?)
I can say that I am 100% blown away, baffled, intrigued, and then "BLOWN AWAY" again!!
All I can say about this book is that Washington is a "BRILLIANT" writer, and you will thoroughly enjoy reading this book.
Pay close attention to the characters, Because BLUE is Where God Lives!
Thank you, NetGalley/Sharon Sochil Washington/ABRAMS. The Overlook Press/ For this "AMAZING" eARC in advance for my honest review. My opinions are of my own volition.
I can say that I am 100% blown away, baffled, intrigued, and then "BLOWN AWAY" again!!
All I can say about this book is that Washington is a "BRILLIANT" writer, and you will thoroughly enjoy reading this book.
Pay close attention to the characters, Because BLUE is Where God Lives!
Thank you, NetGalley/Sharon Sochil Washington/ABRAMS. The Overlook Press/ For this "AMAZING" eARC in advance for my honest review. My opinions are of my own volition.
March 18, 2023
Sharon Sochil Washington I really enjoyed this book. The book is a hopeful testimony to God’s grace: Moore’s difficult beginnings don’t stop her from hearing the call to ministry, which she answered by teaching and writing. Still, behind the scenes, she felt a sense of darkness and self-destruction. She struggled to fit the flaws of her past into the larger story of what God was doing in the world. I highly recommend.
April 22, 2023
“Your history does not control you. You control your history by taking control of who you are. Take control of who you are, and you can tell your own story.”
This is a fantastical story rooted in modern-day settings and histories but with witches and shapeshifters who wield magic to traverse time and space to alter the past and present. After losing her daughter to a violent death, Blue, a middle-aged woman, is in crisis. Seemingly born into a world where the stakes are against her, she seemingly has a lifelong struggle on multiple levels: emotionally, financially, mentally which result in poor decision-making, restlessness, and a series of losses (family, jobs, money, etc) that seem to never end.
Unbeknownst to Blue, her life has been negotiated in a cruel experiment between God and Satan (akin to the Bible’s story of Job); but via cunning, strategic bargaining, and a lot of magic, her shape-shifting grandmother intervenes to change Blue's fate. The story then aligns concepts of intergenerational curses in the form of mental illness (depression, schizophrenia, etc), poverty, early and/or obligatory motherhood, et al to unresolved spiritual warfare waged in past generations. Another persistent theme is the devastating effects of the centuries-long slave trade; the loss of knowledge, language, culture, and history which sometimes manifests into a willing state of ignorance - a desire to forget was has been deemed less than or inferior – all of which results in a people with no memory of greatness, freedom, and success.
The novel is largely Blue’s quest and a reconnection with an internal, self-determined need to heal. It occurs when she stumbles into re-membering and acquires knowledge of the past and an understanding of her history as lived and influenced by her ancestors. Her journey is buoyed by her magical family members whose yesteryear adventures introduce the reader to infamous historical personalities while navigating colorism, systemic racism, enforced disenfranchisement, amid a host of fact-based (often heartbreaking and brutal) scenarios. The book is well-researched and blends contemporary philosophies (ex: Marxism, Capitalism), social commentary, African and African-American folklore, numerology, etc. into the plotlines to create a page-turning debut that keeps hope, strength, and love in the horizon.
Thanks to the publisher, Harry N. Abrams, The Overlook Press, and NetGalley for an opportunity to review.
This is a fantastical story rooted in modern-day settings and histories but with witches and shapeshifters who wield magic to traverse time and space to alter the past and present. After losing her daughter to a violent death, Blue, a middle-aged woman, is in crisis. Seemingly born into a world where the stakes are against her, she seemingly has a lifelong struggle on multiple levels: emotionally, financially, mentally which result in poor decision-making, restlessness, and a series of losses (family, jobs, money, etc) that seem to never end.
Unbeknownst to Blue, her life has been negotiated in a cruel experiment between God and Satan (akin to the Bible’s story of Job); but via cunning, strategic bargaining, and a lot of magic, her shape-shifting grandmother intervenes to change Blue's fate. The story then aligns concepts of intergenerational curses in the form of mental illness (depression, schizophrenia, etc), poverty, early and/or obligatory motherhood, et al to unresolved spiritual warfare waged in past generations. Another persistent theme is the devastating effects of the centuries-long slave trade; the loss of knowledge, language, culture, and history which sometimes manifests into a willing state of ignorance - a desire to forget was has been deemed less than or inferior – all of which results in a people with no memory of greatness, freedom, and success.
The novel is largely Blue’s quest and a reconnection with an internal, self-determined need to heal. It occurs when she stumbles into re-membering and acquires knowledge of the past and an understanding of her history as lived and influenced by her ancestors. Her journey is buoyed by her magical family members whose yesteryear adventures introduce the reader to infamous historical personalities while navigating colorism, systemic racism, enforced disenfranchisement, amid a host of fact-based (often heartbreaking and brutal) scenarios. The book is well-researched and blends contemporary philosophies (ex: Marxism, Capitalism), social commentary, African and African-American folklore, numerology, etc. into the plotlines to create a page-turning debut that keeps hope, strength, and love in the horizon.
Thanks to the publisher, Harry N. Abrams, The Overlook Press, and NetGalley for an opportunity to review.
September 16, 2023
I liked this book way more than I thought it would be. I thought at first within the first few chapters I got stuck in some weird Christian novel. But I'm never one to back down, no matter how weird. As I read on soon, I was pleasantly surprised when God was just vibing with a whole wizard. From there the book delved into angels, demons, shapeshifters and magical powers and their roles in the stories of a family tree.
Along with the magical realism, the book delves into the long-term effects of poverty, racism, and generational trauma in mostly the African American community.
Along with the magical realism, the book delves into the long-term effects of poverty, racism, and generational trauma in mostly the African American community.
December 7, 2022
Not my normal kind of read, but well written. I can see the author's talent on display, and I'm confident that those that pick it up will be moved in some way by it.
I really appreciate the free ARC for review!!
I really appreciate the free ARC for review!!
October 30, 2023
I should start by saying that this is a book that doesn't look quite the way I expect a novel to look. My impression is that the author is drawing on traditions that are not the white american literary tradition I'm most familiar with. Because I tend to dislike books that aren't what I expect and am in the mood for, that made this book a harder sell for me. I think it's possible that I would understand the book better and like it better on a second read for that reason.
I found it hard to accept our main character's lack of agency in her own story. I didn't love that this read like a fable or a bible story, specifically because it could be quite didactic. I also had some problems with the writing that I think may have bothered me less in an audiobook, perhaps because they come from an oral tradition. I found it frustrating when the author would give a metaphor and follow it up with a redundant metaphor in the next clause. I sometimes struggled to parse what was actually happening because the language was so flowery.
I liked the sections that leaned into the magical realism, the scenes that were farthest from our present day reality. They involved some fascinating world building. I think it's possible I liked these scenes the best because I'm most used to reading surreal scenes rendered with the type of flowery, metaphor-heavy prose this author employees. Because of the world building, I was interested to see what happened next. Because this book was a challenge for me to read, though, I wouldn't say I found it gripping. It was an effortful read. There are many characters and timelines in this story, such that I had to take notes to keep track of who was who. The story also deals with some difficult topics and both graphic violence and profanity occur intermittently enough to feel shocking every time they appear.
This book led to some great book club discussion. It's definitely a book full of ideas and I thought the author did an impressive job of supporting her ideas through the dialogue, the plot, and the structure of the book. I think she probably accomplished what she wanted to with this book really well. I'm just not sure it's a book for me. As I mentioned above, perhaps another read would make me feel differently.
I found it hard to accept our main character's lack of agency in her own story. I didn't love that this read like a fable or a bible story, specifically because it could be quite didactic. I also had some problems with the writing that I think may have bothered me less in an audiobook, perhaps because they come from an oral tradition. I found it frustrating when the author would give a metaphor and follow it up with a redundant metaphor in the next clause. I sometimes struggled to parse what was actually happening because the language was so flowery.
I liked the sections that leaned into the magical realism, the scenes that were farthest from our present day reality. They involved some fascinating world building. I think it's possible I liked these scenes the best because I'm most used to reading surreal scenes rendered with the type of flowery, metaphor-heavy prose this author employees. Because of the world building, I was interested to see what happened next. Because this book was a challenge for me to read, though, I wouldn't say I found it gripping. It was an effortful read. There are many characters and timelines in this story, such that I had to take notes to keep track of who was who. The story also deals with some difficult topics and both graphic violence and profanity occur intermittently enough to feel shocking every time they appear.
This book led to some great book club discussion. It's definitely a book full of ideas and I thought the author did an impressive job of supporting her ideas through the dialogue, the plot, and the structure of the book. I think she probably accomplished what she wanted to with this book really well. I'm just not sure it's a book for me. As I mentioned above, perhaps another read would make me feel differently.
July 17, 2025
what a wonderful read. what i took from this novel, being a cis white male with no experience of being black or woman or alive to feel effects of slavery directed towards me, is that it still affects those people involved. but I feel like the author is conveying that yes it effects us, but we have the power to not let us control the outcome of our lives currently. we just have to remember. that was a regular theme through the novel, im not sure exactly if its remembering the cultures true story or the ancestors. I was really invested in this and it was a good one. kudos to the author.
December 15, 2023
Slavery is bad. I don’t think this is supposed to be contentious but I can feel how that sentence would ignite or inflame the internet. I could put pineapple on pizza with less reaction than saying owning another person as property is not a good idea.
History can be harsh. Unvarnished realities of the past can seem like damning condemnations. No one wants to find skeletons in their closets, black and brown skin, flayed and flaunted, bought and sold.
History can be complicated. We tend towards generalizations, almost by necessity. The detailed account of a life lived is inseparably interconnected to their present, their contextualization but also their personal choices and failures. We cannot encompass it all in simple narratives. Shared reality introduces randomness and unavoidable fate, all of which resists simple storytelling.
Sochil Washington is a powerful author to capture this complexity in its many faces. Her characters represent wide stratums of society in multiple eras of history, and they’re interactions are set among thought leaders of history to make space for deep philosophical musings on the plight of the Aboriginal and black bodies of the land.
In public discourse, we often miss the nuance of stratifications. Black and white. Rich and poor. Good and bad. Experiences can vary wildly, altering ones’ perspective and morality. That isn’t meant to blame anyone or be an excuse. Merely an acceptance and understanding of how the circumstances of birth and upbringing inform our world views.
That ought to make us more forgiving towards our past. We aren’t anywhere close to perfect now, we weren’t close back then either.
All of these intricacies make for an advance book. Washington does not baby the reader, though thoughtful attention yields great rewards.
If you’ve read Song of Solomon in high school, you might be familiar with magical realism. Hard magic, like Mistborn by Sanderson has rules and laws that the characters abide by. Soft magic doesn’t have as many rules. Socchi combines many fables and magic from her extensive anthropologic knowledge, giving less rules and more examples of practices from cultures and mythologies of Africa, the Americas, and the Bible, just to name a few I picked up on.
Including the power of language. The books itself becomes a magic spell as her vocabulary is re-membered and de-constructed.
One of the most important points I learned is how history isn’t as set in stone as we’d like to believe. The past can be altered, especially by burying stories that don’t fit a narrative. The narratives that we amplify are not always the most representative. Simple tales can devolve into urban legends or things we want to believe can become inseparable from fact. Creation is not always just, but as we come closer to parity of resources, more creation will arc towards justice. And we begin to realize our inheritance is the act of creation. It’s here where The Blue Is Where God Lives wants us to start. Creation is a divine act, as sex and as birth.
Besides Tony Morrison’s magical realism and her deep well of ancestral and historical knowledge, I found Sochil Washington’s book evocative of Zadie Smith’s intergenerational story-telling, and a touch of Neil Gaiman’s invocations of gods. Her book casts many rich characters as reflections of the complicated relationship between generations, expressions of the inherited burdens of history, and the obtuse privileges that don’t translate in-between a parental childhood and your own.
A handful of decades can radically change the outlook of a child. Those lessons learned, the pain protected, the societal understanding of what is unfair, in-just, leads to a different understanding, standard by, tolerance for what is acceptable. The loss of context is not only present in native and black communities but can resonate with anyone that feels the weight of history in their family lineage.
Outstanding read. Enjoy it slowly and with deep curiosity for the knowledge and style of a great writer.
History can be harsh. Unvarnished realities of the past can seem like damning condemnations. No one wants to find skeletons in their closets, black and brown skin, flayed and flaunted, bought and sold.
History can be complicated. We tend towards generalizations, almost by necessity. The detailed account of a life lived is inseparably interconnected to their present, their contextualization but also their personal choices and failures. We cannot encompass it all in simple narratives. Shared reality introduces randomness and unavoidable fate, all of which resists simple storytelling.
Sochil Washington is a powerful author to capture this complexity in its many faces. Her characters represent wide stratums of society in multiple eras of history, and they’re interactions are set among thought leaders of history to make space for deep philosophical musings on the plight of the Aboriginal and black bodies of the land.
In public discourse, we often miss the nuance of stratifications. Black and white. Rich and poor. Good and bad. Experiences can vary wildly, altering ones’ perspective and morality. That isn’t meant to blame anyone or be an excuse. Merely an acceptance and understanding of how the circumstances of birth and upbringing inform our world views.
That ought to make us more forgiving towards our past. We aren’t anywhere close to perfect now, we weren’t close back then either.
All of these intricacies make for an advance book. Washington does not baby the reader, though thoughtful attention yields great rewards.
If you’ve read Song of Solomon in high school, you might be familiar with magical realism. Hard magic, like Mistborn by Sanderson has rules and laws that the characters abide by. Soft magic doesn’t have as many rules. Socchi combines many fables and magic from her extensive anthropologic knowledge, giving less rules and more examples of practices from cultures and mythologies of Africa, the Americas, and the Bible, just to name a few I picked up on.
Including the power of language. The books itself becomes a magic spell as her vocabulary is re-membered and de-constructed.
One of the most important points I learned is how history isn’t as set in stone as we’d like to believe. The past can be altered, especially by burying stories that don’t fit a narrative. The narratives that we amplify are not always the most representative. Simple tales can devolve into urban legends or things we want to believe can become inseparable from fact. Creation is not always just, but as we come closer to parity of resources, more creation will arc towards justice. And we begin to realize our inheritance is the act of creation. It’s here where The Blue Is Where God Lives wants us to start. Creation is a divine act, as sex and as birth.
Besides Tony Morrison’s magical realism and her deep well of ancestral and historical knowledge, I found Sochil Washington’s book evocative of Zadie Smith’s intergenerational story-telling, and a touch of Neil Gaiman’s invocations of gods. Her book casts many rich characters as reflections of the complicated relationship between generations, expressions of the inherited burdens of history, and the obtuse privileges that don’t translate in-between a parental childhood and your own.
A handful of decades can radically change the outlook of a child. Those lessons learned, the pain protected, the societal understanding of what is unfair, in-just, leads to a different understanding, standard by, tolerance for what is acceptable. The loss of context is not only present in native and black communities but can resonate with anyone that feels the weight of history in their family lineage.
Outstanding read. Enjoy it slowly and with deep curiosity for the knowledge and style of a great writer.
April 5, 2024
It's entirely possible that this book just wasn't meant for me and that I'm too dumb for it, but I just... didn't get it? There was a whole lot of talk about god, which I gave the side eye at first, and then there was some shapeshifting and magic and demons, but the timelines swapping and the story weaving in and out ended up jumbling the story together so much for me that I had trouble keeping track of who was who and when.
The book was very poetic, but sometimes it was so poetic that I nearly found it incoherent, to its detriment. I could tell the writer is well researched in colorism, systemic racism, disenfranchisement, etc, so some of the scenes were absolutely BRUTAL, but when the commentary strayed into contemporary socieconomic discussions about Marxism and Capitalism and the commodification of people, it started to feel heavy handed and made me feel like I was being lectured to. I had a really difficult time connecting with Blue, and despite her spending most of the book as a mother to grown children, I had a very difficult time remembering that or placing where her scenes took place in time because her voice was just so.... disconnected with what was going on with her. When I got to the ending, I felt relief because it was finally over, but disappointment because it wasn't very satisfying. I felt like we had a lot of build up to it that was never allowed to boil over.
The book was very poetic, but sometimes it was so poetic that I nearly found it incoherent, to its detriment. I could tell the writer is well researched in colorism, systemic racism, disenfranchisement, etc, so some of the scenes were absolutely BRUTAL, but when the commentary strayed into contemporary socieconomic discussions about Marxism and Capitalism and the commodification of people, it started to feel heavy handed and made me feel like I was being lectured to. I had a really difficult time connecting with Blue, and despite her spending most of the book as a mother to grown children, I had a very difficult time remembering that or placing where her scenes took place in time because her voice was just so.... disconnected with what was going on with her. When I got to the ending, I felt relief because it was finally over, but disappointment because it wasn't very satisfying. I felt like we had a lot of build up to it that was never allowed to boil over.
March 12, 2023
This is a speculative fiction book that focuses on the healing power of family and community across the generations, and also emphasizes social and economic ills against black generations as the battleground of angels and devils, experienced in a mildly hallucinatory rip in time at a physical location of historical importance to the generations. Things like being forced into motherhood and mental illness are framed as the consequence of demonic warfare on the souls of the family, emphasizes the generational instances in the frame of the Genesis creation story, and is overall way too heavy on the God for my personal taste. It's still on the better end of the debut novel spectrum, and worth borrowing from the library.
September 3, 2024
This book was kind of wild. Overall, it is more of a book about ideas and concepts, theory made into life. There is excitement, violence, magic, lust. At times, the story is hard to follow. But is the story what matters here? Ultimately, the book is about the horrors of the Middle Passage, the brutality of American chattel slavery. Beyond just a violent, bloody experience for the individual, American slavery was a systematic destruction of an entire people, an attempt to rob them of their culture, their personhood, to make people feel only three-fifths human. This novel is about an attempt to exorcise that pain, to free future generations from the curse of American racism. More than a fantasy novel, Sochil Washington attempts to teach us a lesson with her debut novel.
September 5, 2023
This novel is about the role of racism, poverty, and generational trauma and whether you can take back control from this trauma. With these themes plus the weaving of multiple timelines and perspectives, it is a difficult book to get through. Was the final payoff worth it? Perhaps. It is a unique novel and has important messaging, but I was often confused by the jumping of timelines and forgetting who is who. (Honestly I could've used a family tree). Hoping Washington continues writing and has more stories to tell but will become a more experienced technician -- or have a better editor to help. 3.5/5
April 29, 2023
3.75. I finished the book (a Goodreads giveaway, thank you) in about 24 hours. The New School experiences were interesting. However, I could not get engaged with the lives of the first (Jack) and second (MaryM) generations, and I did not understand who the “family” was in Detroit.
My favorite excerpt: “Listen … if you let money decide your path, you will never discover your passions. If you require loans to attend school, take as many as you need … And the product that you can buy with it can never be repossessed …”
My favorite excerpt: “Listen … if you let money decide your path, you will never discover your passions. If you require loans to attend school, take as many as you need … And the product that you can buy with it can never be repossessed …”
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 14, 2023
I really wanted to like this book but I couldn’t get myself to finish. It was really hard to get into - and confusing. It felt very overthought / overwritten with lines that seemed like a poem, but placed in the middle of a paragraph. It just didn’t work for me. I couldn’t relate to the main character at all - she felt totally fictional in that she was randomly too poetic, not human enough, and the author got caught up in the mysterious elements without taking the reader along. I love the idea of it though!!!
April 23, 2023
There's a lot to love in this book: the world building, the mix of past and presente, the storytelling, and the characters.
I liked it but I felt a bit confused at time.
The author is talented and can't wait to read the next book.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine
I liked it but I felt a bit confused at time.
The author is talented and can't wait to read the next book.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine
March 28, 2024
Like if Game of Thrones addressed real life systems of oppression. Plus time travel.
The author needs a new editor — the frequency of “ironically” and “literally” got old. If you’re assuming your reader can follow 6+ generations of an endogamous family tree you don’t need to also spell out the literal and the ironic.
The author needs a new editor — the frequency of “ironically” and “literally” got old. If you’re assuming your reader can follow 6+ generations of an endogamous family tree you don’t need to also spell out the literal and the ironic.
March 19, 2023
This is one of the most unique books I've read this year. It is reminiscent of Toni Morrison, but it clearly has its own voice. Devastating and nonstop, it will keep you dizzy until the end. It took a few chapters to get into the rhythm, but I am so glad I gave it a chance.
June 12, 2023
The two story lines do come together at the end but not in a striking way or even in a way that really made sense. It was a fine read, but the big connection/revelation I’d hoped for at the end never happened.
March 25, 2024
Probably 2.5 stars. A lot of the writing was beautiful and poetic, and I really wanted to love this book. Ultimately though, I didn’t end up caring enough for either the characters or the plot to really keep me engaged.
June 29, 2024
first book of the road trip. more thoughts - i love blending christianity with spiritualism and magic, and this was a pretty solid magical realism book but i got a bit lost in the middle and i was confused by the end. i would still recommend a read if you’re into the genre
July 12, 2025
I have no idea what I just read. I had to read and re-read so much of this book it took me days to complete I am sure Sharon Sochi Washington worked very hard to create this story but I just couldn’t follow it
March 23, 2023
Amazing! Pushes the boundary's of the mind and imagination. Very well researched and an ending that surprises. I will have to read this one again.
April 14, 2023
What a unique book! I'm so glad I received an advance copy from netgalley.com and so glad I stuck with it.
I loved the moments where it read like historical fiction and then juxtaposed that against modern times today. Were there times where I was a bit confused and wondering what timeline we were on? Yes - but ultimately I don't think I really needed to know exactly where I was to enjoy the journey. After finishing, I felt like it helped show how 'the more things change, the more the stay the same' and I also felt like it was addressing the idea of generational trauma while also being rooted in fantasy. I will also never hear the phrase 'out of the blue' and not think of this book and how those moments are when we may be most connection to something spiritual.
I loved the moments where it read like historical fiction and then juxtaposed that against modern times today. Were there times where I was a bit confused and wondering what timeline we were on? Yes - but ultimately I don't think I really needed to know exactly where I was to enjoy the journey. After finishing, I felt like it helped show how 'the more things change, the more the stay the same' and I also felt like it was addressing the idea of generational trauma while also being rooted in fantasy. I will also never hear the phrase 'out of the blue' and not think of this book and how those moments are when we may be most connection to something spiritual.
April 11, 2023
Full review to come, but for now, thank you to Abrams Books for my copy of The Blue is Where God Lives, won in a Goodreads giveaway.
May 1, 2023
3.5 stars rounded up
June 5, 2023
A great new voice to watch..
June 28, 2023
Absolutely loved the Black history interwoven with the magic & fantasy. Beautifully written and unlike anything I’ve read before!
July 25, 2023
Would definitely recommend to folks who enjoy magical realism! Can't wait to see what Dr Washington writes next :)
September 11, 2023
A mix of surrealism and historical fiction. Hard to follow at times, but a good message and I liked many of the characters.
October 15, 2023
Currently a DNF as i couldn't wrap my mind around the first few chapters. May try again sometime
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews