When Kareela finds out she’s pregnant, she isn’t sure what to do. She struggles understanding her place in the world as a half black and half white woman. She learned of her Jamaican culture when her grandmother moved in, after her brother’s murder by the police.

This is a hard one to read in these times, but important. I liked that I learned about the turmoil of Jamaica in the 1980’s; I had no idea about it. If you enjoy mother daughter relationship stories, this is a good one thay explores why their relationship is strained. There’s history and trauma to be revealed that shapes the family.

“We can’t change what most needs to be changed: the way they see us. That, more than anything, is on them. But we can’t change stand against the injustice. Show the world who we are and what we want.”

We Rip the World Apart comes out 1/28.

A novel about the search for identity. Kareela, Evelyn and Violet- three generations of women-all struggle in some way with their race and history. Evelyn, mother of Kareela and daughter in law of Violet, is white. Violet is Jamaican. Kareela is biracial and careening after the death of her brother only now she's pregnant. This is poignant, timely, and thought provoking. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A very good read.

Here we have a riveting story across three timelines, each with equally interesting events.

First we have Kareela, who is in the midst of Covid and has found herself pregnant. She isn't sure whether she wants it in the middle of all this hate and when she hasn't quite found her footing yet.

She is half-white, half-black, who was taught from a young age to appear more white. This is because her mother, Evelyn, encountered more hate crimes and fled from them than most people have in their lifetimes.

One specific hate crime ended with the death of her son when Kareela was only six, which sent Evelyn into a deep abyss for years.

And finally, we have Violet, Evelyn's mother-in-law, who tries to piece everything back together.

This book taught me that Black hate crimes are everywhere and still very existent even today. I love the parallelism we see throughout the storylines.

DNF at 15%. Felt quite slow and boring. I’m typically a fan of multigenerational stories, but I just couldn’t get into this one.

This is an unsettling book about the way Black and Brown people are treated, not only in the US, but in Canada. The story revolves around a mixed race family in Canada. The husband has a PhD and is a college professor. His wife is originally from Canada, but moved to Jamaica, where the couple met. They have two children, years apart in age.

The story moves through time jumps, back in time and then forward again. The timeframe is clear from the chapter titles and from the stages of the couple and their children.

Antony is angered and motivated by racial injustice. He sees himself as a "zebra" neither white, nor black. He is at odds with his parents, particularly his father. The timeline moves from a young couple meeting and falling in love, through the joy of marriage and a new baby and continues through tragedy and the family coming apart at the seams.

It isn't an easy story to read, but it's an important book about love, racial strife, and the destruction of a family. I have both the e-book and the audio book. The narrator is excellent.

I enjoyed Hold My Girl, so I was looking forward to this book. As an African American woman, I wanted to connect with this book based on the subject matter, but unfortunately I couldn't. This book was tough to read at times because it tackled some heavy but important topics - racism, police brutality, interracial relationships, etc. Make no mistake, the writing was amazing.

My biggest issue was wuth the characters. I didn't like any of them. Kareela seemed like a caricature of a woman. She was way too indecisive and unsure of herself. I also didn't like Evelyn. I believe the character was supposed to be written in a positive light, but I felt like she never understood her family's struggles as Black people. She came across as privileged and slightly condescending.

This story grabbed my attention initially, but it dragged on for far too long. The constant switching between POVs also made it hard to stay in the story. I was disappointed with the ending. I felt that there needed to be more and I walked away unsatisfied. I'm still a fan of this author but this wasn't my favorite book.

From the little I read, it was clear this book is both beautiful and deeply meaningful. However, I found it to be a bit too raw and heavy given recent and upcoming events in my life. I decided to pause at about 10% and plan to revisit it when I have more emotional space to fully appreciate it.

Kareela, pregnant and unsure if she wants the baby, is struggling to find her place in the world as a biracial woman following the death of her brother in a police shooting.

Moving between the past and the present, Charlene Carr tells a beautiful and heartbreaking story about the impact of generational trauma and the struggles of being of two different races. While Kareela tries to figure out where she belongs, she is in a constant struggle (not black enough to be Black, not white enough to be white).

As the mom of a biracial son also of Jamaican heritage, at times this book was especially hard to read, particularly as it dealt with her brother’s death at the hands of the police. The impact of his death on their mom Evelyn broke my heart into a million pieces more than once. There is a whole lot of emotion tucked into these 400 pages and a family you can’t help but feel connected to both in the past and the present.

Read if you like:
▪️intergenerational stories
▪️complex mother/daughter relationships
▪️exploration of racial identity and racism
▪️dual timelines/POV

Thank you Sourcebooks Landmark, Recorded Books, and Charlene Carr for the gifted copies.

We Rip the World Apart was a powerful generational story of a Jamaican Black woman, a white woman married to a Black man, her mixed race daughter, and the things they do to survive. As a white woman, I know I’ll never fully understand the lived experiences described in the book, but this book was powerful in ways I wasn’t expecting. It’s raw, heartbreaking, and so beautifully written—like you’re being let into this family’s deepest truths.

The way it explored the weight of generational trauma and the lengths mothers go to protect their families was well done. It made me reflect on privilege, sacrifice, and the complexities of making choices in a world that feels stacked against you. It’s uncomfortable at times (as it should be) but it’s so necessary.

This isn’t an easy read, but it’s powerful and important.

I decided not to rate this book, but was required to for this feedback.

We Rip The World Apart is a multi-generational story following three women (Kareela, Evelyn, and Violet) and the ways grief and pain can be passed through lineage when it is held on to. We open up with Kareela, who has just discovered that she is pregnant and doesn’t know if she really wants to be. We are set in the pandemic years when police brutality is at the forefront of the world’s consciousness. Kareela is a biracial woman who is in the middle of her own identity crisis as the subject matter hits too close to home. We meet Kareela’s mother, Evelyn, through the lens of the past as she is dealing with the aftermath of losing her firstborn to police brutality. Violet is Kareela’s grandmother and Evelyn’s mother in law , who was tasked with holding this family together while wading through her own trauma.
 
I almost put this this book down twice because it has a LOT of trigger warnings for me as a black woman in the United States (racism, police brutality, sexual assault). I kept reading because the story kept me interested. I really had to know how it ended (though I must confess….as the first book of 2025 on the brink of inauguration day it was A LOT). This book would be a great book club read because of all the discussions that can come from it. This book will be released on January 28, 2025. Happy early publication day! 🎉🎉

Thank you, Sourcebooks Landmark, for providing this ARC for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This was such a moving and heartfelt story of generational trauma, familial relationships and so much more including racism, motherhood, immigration.

This is one of those stories that everyone should read. With that said, I did struggle at times with the pacing. Still a great read.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

We Rip the World Apart by Charlene Carr is a moving multi-generation novel about trauma and grief.

Canadian born Evelyn (who is white) and her husband Jamaican Kingsley Jackson leave Jamaica with their young son Antony due to extreme political unrest. Resettling in Toronto, Kingsley finishes his education then becomes a much-loved professor at a local university. Evelyn works full-time and they raise their son Antony who views their world through a very different lens. Unlike his father who never rocks the boat, Antony becomes very involved in civil rights (mostly the unjust killings of brown and black people). Their daughter Kareela is a late in life baby who grows up in a family traumatized by grief.

Twenty-four-year-old Kareela has just realized she is pregnant with her (white) boyfriend Thomas’ baby. Uncertain of her place in the world and her relationship with Thomas, she is wracked with indecision about whether she wants a child at this time. Kareela is also attempting to discover who she is and exactly what she wants for her life. Her relationship with her mother is strained and she longs for Evelyn’s love.

Kingsley’s mom Violet has seen plenty of trouble in her life. Yet she does not allow these events to prevent her from loving her children, daughter-in-law and grandbabies. Violet is much loved by Kareela but will her granddaughter understand her role in long ago events?

We Rip the World Apart features a compelling storyline and captivating characters. The pacing is sometimes a bit slow as key players grapple with tragedy and its aftereffects. The chapters alternate between different perspectives and time periods. Real life events add depth to the unfolding story. Although there are a few loose ends, Charlene Carr brings this intense novel to a satisfying conclusion.

Thank you Netgalley for this arc. This book was so amazing, so moving, and so emotional. It deserves a 5 stars. I could relate to the part where the main character was pregnant and was not sure if she wanted to keep it. You really feel for her and the challenges she faces throughout the book.

Charlene Carr’s We Rip the World Apart is a masterful and gut-wrenching novel that takes readers on a raw, emotional journey through the deeply intertwined themes of race, motherhood, police brutality, and trauma. This multi-generational, deeply personal story delves into the complexities of biracial relationships and the unique burdens placed on families navigating systemic racism. It is a novel that moved me to anger, brought me to tears, and left me profoundly changed.

At its heart, We Rip the World Apart examines how grief and trauma ripple through a family after tragedy strikes, affecting each member in ways that are both unique and universally heartbreaking. Carr’s storytelling is as intimate as it is unflinchingly honest, exposing the raw nerves of loss and the fierce love that drives parents to do anything to protect their children. The quote, “I’d rip the world apart to keep her safe,” is a poignant refrain that resonated deeply with me, encapsulating the lengths to which we would go to secure a better, safer world for our children. Readers should be aware of potential triggers, including racism and abortion, as Carr does not hold back from confronting these issues in a deeply affecting manner.

PHENOMENAL!!! I could not put this down and I am already upset that I finished reading it. It’s raw and gut-wrenching that it forces us to confront the deepest parts of ourselves. This book did just that—and more. From the very first page, Carr weaves a powerful, unflinching tale of love, loss, and the relentless pursuit of redemption.

Carr did a great job!!!! I loved it!!!

A moving story about race, motherhood, culture, community, and how those themes intersect with one another. This is the first book I’ve read by Charlene Carr and I will absolutely be picking up another one. The first half was a little slow and I found it difficult to feel really invested in the story. However, things really picked up in the second half and I flew through it. The ending was a little abrupt and though I wanted to know more, it didn’t feel incomplete. Overall, an incredible story that should be on everyone’s list this year.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. All of the opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This novel should be made required reading for all ages. I know that’s a very short review, but that’s all I can think to say. This novel should be made required reading for all ages.

Thank you @netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy of We Rip the World Apart by Charlene Carr. This is a multigenerational family story, that explores the joys and issues of being mixed race. It goes between Canada and Jamaica, as the family tries to find a place where a black man can be safe and have equal opportunities. But that is much easier said than done. The grandson is killed in a political protest, after years of the parents trying to keep him out of a situation where this could happen. And now his sister is pregnant and not sure if she wants to bring a baby into this world. As the story goes on, a lot is revealed about the parents and grandmother, that make some things easier to understand. This is a really thoughtful novel, with a great family story and timely subjects. Very discussable and makes you think. #weriptheworldapart #charlenecarr #netgalley #bookstagram #advancedreadercopy #takeapagefrommybook #familystory

I randomly had checked Hold My Girl out of the library and found it to be such a beautiful, touching, well-written book. So I automatically wanted to read Charlene's next book but unfortunately I didn't read the synopsis before requesting. I know race relations are extremely important and I'm sure Charlene has done an excellent job writing this. But when I read for pleasure in my free time, this serious subject is just not what I want to focus on. Especially over the December holiday break.

A gripping, poignant story about grief, identity, family, racism, injustice and healing told by three generations of women.
Thank you Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the ARC.