3 Stars

This was beautifully written, but I struggled to stay invested. The father-daughter relationship is fascinating—Lion is larger than life, chaotic, and impossible to ignore—but at times, the storytelling felt distant. The perpetual present tense made it hard to fully sink into the narrative, and while I appreciated the introspection, it sometimes felt like I was being kept at arm’s length from the emotions.

That said, the writing is undeniably strong, and if you love reflective, literary family sagas, this might hit harder for you. For me, it was interesting but didn’t fully grip me the way I’d hoped.