Perfection. The concept of a family history through the framework of the Bible, the relationship of the people included, the use of various devices. There's a goddamn RECIPE as a poem and it was one of my favorite parts. It encompasses not just the biblical and the familial, but the harsh, often challenging humanization of the genealogical record while celebrating, condemning, and comforting everyone. I am blown away.

Thanks for the ARC, and thanks for Diamond Forde.

Thank you to Diamond Forde, Scribner, and NetGalley for this ARC!

⭐️- Worldbuilding/Character Development
I really loved the way we were included in this world in a way that gave us empathy for Alice’s situation and the other characters described, and how the world was given to us in little snapshots!

⭐️- Plot
The plot itself spanned stories of lifetimes, which were so dedicated to unique experience, and felt intimate to be let into these thoughts and feelings. I really enjoyed how the stories progressed.

⭐️-Writing
The use of the Bible was a genius way to tell these stories, connect the two, and to separate different chunks of these poems in an easy, themed way. The poetry itself was both easily accessible and beautiful prose.

⭐️- Personal Preference
This is definitely not the normal genre I read in. Even when I do read poetry, I tend to read poetry with a fantastical element or transcendentalism poetry. I was so moved by the family story I received by this book, and found myself gripped the entire time.

Thank you again for this ARC, it was a pleasure to read!