‘We Rip the World Apart’ weaves together alternating timelines and perspectives to follow three women: Violet, the matriarch of a family; her daughter-in-law Evelyn, a white woman; and Kareela, Evelyn’s estranged daughter. We also follow Evelyn’s husband, Kingsley, a Black Jamaican man as they raise their mixed-race children, Kareela and Antony, in Canada after fleeing Jamaica in the 90s due to political violence. Early in the story we learn that Antony is tragically killed by police in Toronto while participating in a Black Lives Matter rally, setting the stage for a multi-generational exploration of grief, identity, and family. The narrative unfolds as the family grapples with loss and struggles to understand their place in a society that perpetually marginalizes them.⁠
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Carr’s novel is a deeply emotional journey, confronting issues of racism, trauma, and belonging with sensitivity and depth. It’s a story that, at times, feels like it’s tearing your heart apart, yet, it’s one that demands to be read.⁠
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Books like this, even if fictional, are vital because they offer a space for empathy, allowing us to see each other through a shared, human lens. In times of rising hatred and division, we must embrace stories like this to counteract the darkness with compassion and love. Grab your tissues because this one will make you shed a few tears.

A beautifully written and emotional, poignant tale filled with grief and immense heartbreak. The story has torn my emotions into tiny pieces. It's characters face much turmoil and I felt every challenge that they braved. The captivating story is moving, touching and leaves you with a lot to think about. It's about family, racism, grief, motherhood and finding your own true self. It moved me in a way that no other book has and it's thought provoking!

I was not prepared for the emotions that this book brought out of me. It is sooo beautifully written. This is my first book by this author, and would LOVE to read more of her work. It deals with alot of issues that sadly aren't talked about enough. Keep up the good work.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.

This is such a beautifully written story with an important message. It's emotionally charged and impactful, covering issues of motherhood, loss, racism, grief, and trauma. The story unfolds through the perspectives of three generations of women, each grappling with their own struggles and interconnected lives.

The narrative dives into the lives of a grandmother, her daughter-in-law, and her granddaughter, exploring how significant events shape their relationships and influence their views. As these women navigate their individual and shared experiences, the book tackles heavy topics such as racism, abuse, alcoholism, masking, abortion, sexual assault, and police brutality. Despite these challenges, it emphasizes the complexities of love and the effort required to understand and support one another within a family.

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the advanced reader copy. This is my honest review.

This was an amazing book that deals with issues of race in Canada, including BLM, and how racial injustices drastically changed the course of the lives of everyone in a multi-racial family.

The story flowed well and the characters were well developed. I recommend this book and look forward to more from this author.


****Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review****

This was a deeply emotional read about multi-generational trauma. This book is very much a character driven novel. This book covers some really heavy topics, trauma, grief, and complicated family dynamics, among others. This book had me reaching for the tissues at times because it was such a tearjerker yet so beautiful. I think that this book also had a message of hope, and healing, and finding your true self despite conditions. It was very moving. The pacing in this book is fairly slow and meandering, but it feels like a nice casual walk in the park. It’s not a bad thing, it’s just one that took me a couple of days to get through which is a slower pace than I usually read at. Because the pacing was slower than my normal, I did struggle to get into this book. It ended up being worth the struggle though and I was glad I stuck with it. The multiple storylines told from the different women of the family, were amazing and a great way to experience the story.

If you are looking for a truly moving story, then you need to check this one out.

I try to rarely DNF NetGalley e-galleys, but I think sadly I am going to DNF this book at 20%. I would rather DNF than give this author a bad rating because this definitely isn’t a bad book! Just not for me.

I struggled with the characters a lot. I think in a character driven novel, I have to like the main character and I wasn’t a fan of Kareela. A lot of the characters felt like caricatures. We found out a character was Jewish and then she said “oy vey” two sentences later.

This is a book I think that I could still recommend to a lot of readers but just not for me right now. I loved HOLD MY GIRL by this author and will still be on the lookout for any book she writes in the future!!

I really enjoyed this book and am so glad to have read it! It covered a wide array of great topics like love, grief, motherhood, race, and more. It was powerful and made me think and see things in a new perspective

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publishers for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!!!

This book…made me far more emotional then I would care to admit! There were so many thought provoking topics including trauma, grief, racism, motherhood and more! Carr does an amazing job of portraying all of these topics throughout her work! This book is very compelling and will stay with you even once you close this book!

5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Charlene Carr's writing is addictive. I love the themes she creates in her books. This new title was entertaining and thought provoking. I didn't want to put it down! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. I can see this being a brilliant choice for book club discussions.

I really enjoyed this book. It kept me engaged and it only took a few days to read. I think this is going to be a good book club option for several clubs. I plan recommending to my book friends and I look forward to reading more by this author.