Si os ha gustado Mascota, tenéis que leer Bitter. Y si no habéis leído Mascota, no sé a qué estáis esperando.
Es duro, pero no se recrea ni hurga en el dolor. Y te recuerda que la esperanza es una disciplina, es algo que se tiene que trabajar y por lo que vale la pena hacerlo.

I might be unfairly comparing this book to Pet and the rest of Akwaeke Emezi’s work, but it didn’t really do it for me. There were moments that sparked  for me and captured what I love so much about their writing, but I finished this feeling like it was unnecessary and kind of forced. I never really cared about the characters, though I was compelled by how they all dealt with and felt about revolution and the various parts people can play in it. I don’t really know what it was, but I just did not enjoy this book very much and I’m sad about it.

I was unsure about Bitter in the beginning, but it definitely grew into itself. I'll always be touched by Emezi's writing. 

I've only read two books by Akwake Emezi (but I think this author could be a favourite), being their middlegrade novella, Pet, & their adult literary romance, You Made A Fool Of Death With Your Beauty (two incredibly different titles, target audiences, etc).

Bitter brings us back to Pet's world of monster filled Lucille... but is it the monsters you're expecting, or a much more sinister kind? The type with a friendly face, & unexpected urges? This story throws us into Bitter's life. Sick & tired of seeing protests & bodies bruised & battered outside the safety of her school, she throws herself into her art... slowly finding hope again, & her own role to play in the fight against the monsters of Lucille.

I really enjoyed this. I love seeing more of this world, & how it affects a different set of characters. 

Bitter comes across very standoffish but I enjoyed seeing that hard exterior slowly chip away.

I felt so comforted by Miss Bilphena's care of checking everyone had substantial food I'm their stomachs & the simple question of "you eat meat" made me kind of emotional. I think it was that kindness to care for everyone's dietary needs were cared for, regardless of the chaos happening out in Lucille.

It was great to see more of these hunters & more back story to the magic of the blood/paint. That's something I was really curious about whilst reading Pet & Bitter has answered so many questions. 

I loved the message that everyone has a role to play in revolution and you don't have to be in the front line to be doing worth while work. It doesn't make you weak or a coward, everyone has their place and is valued in their effort of changing the world for the better.

This was a powerful & impactful novel.

Mainly made me want to read Pet again. I liked the glimpses of what Lucille would become - the pockets of love and community, and hope. But this is mainly a book about hurt, and violence and Vengeance.

‘Bitter’ by Akwaeke Emezi is a thought provoking and character driven prequel. 
The story follows Jam’s mother Bitter as a young woman starting her art career as a student at Eucalyptus. Lucille is far from the peaceful city that is present in Pet. Instead, it is racked by protests against the police violence and systemic issues that plague the city. Bitter is trying to find her place in the world while exploring her art. She isn’t sure how to relate to her peers who are actively protesting. When Bitter releases a monster from one of her paintings in response to a cruel act of brutality, she will have to decide where she stands in this battle and what she will do next.
'Bitter' is the perfect prequel to Pet. Where Pet sets up a city that has come through hardship and become a more forgiving and open place, 'Bitter' gives us insight into the beginning of what transformed Lucille into that city. In 'Bitter,' Lucille much more clearly represents our current situation so when it is put in contrast to Pet, it becomes clear that Emezi is hinting at one possible way that we can move to a liberated future. Bitter is a great central protagonist, not only because we have already met her in Pet but also because she is caught between her art and comfort and making real change in the world. Her place is a highly relatable one and her considerations ones that many people are going through during this day and time. Paired with Emezi’s evocative writing, fully fleshed out characters, and ability to tell so much story in a short amount of time, 'Bitter' is another triumph of their skill. I hope we will see more in this world because it feels like there are more stories that could be told and a further piece in this city’s story that Emezi could explore. If you haven’t read Emezi’s work before, I think you can read these connected novels in either order. Please read this if you have any interest (and even if you don’t), Emezi is celebrated for a reason and it’s because they are a truly skilled storyteller. 

This book is, unexpectedly, quite a bit better than Pet. Pet builds a world that cares, that is intentional, that believes:

We are each other’s harvest. We are each other’s business. We are each other’s magnitude and bond.

Bitter tries to explain how Jam’s parents, Bitter and Aloe, were made familiar with the capacity for creatures to be brought forth from her paintings. It also tries to explain how a city somewhere close to ours in white supremacist capitalist politics, but in the fight for equality, came to be the haven of Pet.

The history is, in some ways, disappointing, because it turns out that as much divine intervention as hard work goes into the answer; this novel doesn’t give hope like a bold of lightning, but in a trickle (but still there). There are moments, in willingness to talk after anger—in refusing the cure for a disability, in Bitter’s ability to find a safe space—that look like hope, monsters or not.

It was mostly resolved by the end, but parts of this book after Bitter brings something from a painting didn’t seem to quite fit with the first book. The roles Hibiscus and Ube inhabit, the way Bitter and others talk about change, the personality of the creature. It’s cohesive, such that I expect Emezi knew the whole timeline from the start, but some of the pieces didn’t line up for me.

Here’s what I loved: Aloe’s romance. Bitter’s art. The casual queerness. The way art is discussed as valuable. The phrasing around Bitter’s childhood. How true anxiety felt. Disability! How true anger and hopelessness felt.

Here’s what I wasn’t sure about: Assata. Eucalyptus. The utopic institutions were vague in ways, which was fine, but some of what was described felt a bit wonky, or else hollow. Population count for Lucille?

Here’s what I didn’t like: Perhaps necessary for the continuity, but I didn’t like how present the guilty party from Pet was here. Blessing’s outfits. The homogenous reaction the the scene in the public square: there’s a reductiveness to the immediate change everyone undergoes, and the discussion of punishment, anger, and terrorism ends up being sorely limited and ineffective as a result. I wanted concrete descriptions of what Assata is doing, a framework of what we’re fighting against: use of allegory would have strengthened Emezi’s ability to create a call to action through this work.