Bitter

I know that Bitter was written after Pet, but I decided to be daring and read it first as it’s a prequel to the winner of the Children's & Young Adult Literature Honor at the Stonewall awards. Somehow it feels wrong to do it but if I’m honest, I’m glad I did it because it gave me a lot more insight into the adult characters in Pet.Emezi’s writing style is evocative and thought-provoking and I can see many readers seeing some elements of our current socio-political climate across much of the world in the fictional place of Lucille. The world that Emezi has brought to life may not be vast, but you can become immersed in it, and understand why there is so much turmoil for the young characters we meet whether they’re students at Eucalyptus or those who are out protesting or involved in the violence against the rich and arrogant controlling minority of the city.Bitter is an artist, she just wants to paint and to create but the story shows how many of us have a breaking point, often triggered by a horrendous action against ourselves or our loved ones and Bitter does indeed have one. I found it fascinating how we gradually get insight into the person this young girl is, and how her relationships whether romantic or platonic have shaped her up to the point of where events in Lucille draw Bitter from the school room to the streets. She’s not naive by any means, none of the teenagers and children are - they’re all too aware of the many injustices in their city and many are trying to rectify it for themselves and those who come next and it’s apparent that they feel failed to a degree by those who came before.The quote  "Don't trust any movement that's tryna make martyrs out of kids." stood out to me because there’s irony for its utterance not only within the book, but also again in the world we’re living in right now. There’s also a reminder throughout the book that true monsters don’t need masks to be what they are, they’re simply allowed to have or to take power from others and again - I think that’s a fair observation of society. How I wish it were not, and it was only something to be found in fiction.I liked how we see Bitter grow through the book, and that she does have her valid moments of being up and down, and of being ready to make a stance and then faltering - it makes her human and relatable. There’s also the gentle love story of Bitter and her fellow classmate, Aloe who tries to protect Bitter even when he’s out providing care for the injured members of the protest groups. Their romance is a reminder that even as the world appears to burn,, you have the right to live, and to hope for a future for yourself..I do think that I did the right thing by reading this first because Bitter’s story - or stories in this book - provide a truth about what happened in Lucille, and of the power she has to keep fighting and of course the little magic she has with her art. I would like to have a little more insight into her parentage because that seems extremely important but it’s only hinted at as she’s been passed around the foster system from a young age until she calls Eucalyptus home.  This was a great read, and I loved the evolution of Bitter and of the fight back against the oppression many face in Lucille. I did not like the so-called Angels very much but I also understood why they are the way they were.