Review of Backcomb & Tattoo

Post by **Lucy Vera** » 21 Nov 2021, 17:37

[Following is a volunteer review of "Backcomb & Tattoo" by Shea R Embry.]

4 out of 4 stars

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I had never known about the genre called transitional fiction until I came across the book Backcomb and Tattoo by Shea R Embry. It was something new for me, and quite frankly, a breath of fresh air. It was a take on life that was new and insightful.

The book Backcomb and Tattoo follows the intertwined lives of four women: Aunt Mary Opal, Racheal, Jesi, and Nicole, who all have issues they struggle with. Racheal is alone in her marriage to a rockstar. While she loves her husband, she is resentful of the fact that he is not there when she needs a shoulder to rely on. Jesi is a young woman who runs away from her problems. She has refused to settle down in a place, opting instead to travel around the world. Nicole was a woman who her wife had emotionally abused for many years. She had turned suicidal and was on the verge of taking her life when she met these other women. Aunt Mary Opal was the oldest of the crew, a cancer survivor who had been physically abused in her marriage. Her cancer became recurrent, and she declined treatment, opting instead to spend time with her friends and later die with dignity. Would these women, despite their differences, gel and form an unbreakable bond? Read this book to find out more.

This book had a lot of positive aspects that made me fall in love with it. Backcomb and Tattoo taught me that the wise saying that blood is thicker than water does not work in all cases. Family does not always have to be one's relatives. The women showed the power of true friendship and loyalty; they were a family. The author is quite skilled; she was able to evoke the emotions needed at specific points in the book. Also, the book highlighted salient issues in stark relief by letting us see some everyday problems people deal with. Again, the book had no errors, which showed that it was exceptionally well edited.

No book is perfect, and Backcomb and Tattoo fits the bill. Well, honestly, I could hardly fault this book; this shows how much I liked it. The one negative aspect is that I believe some of the chapters were too short. They could have been conjoined to make the chapters longer.

I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars because it was amazing that I could not drop it. This book was a thought-evoking book that made me ponder about life and the struggles people face. Its imperfection could be easily overlooked.

I recommend this book to people over the age of eighteen and people who are not homophobic. It is a book that I believe will make us a bit more sensitive to other people's struggles.

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Backcomb & Tattoo
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Luu luu · Post by **Luu luu** » 29 Nov 2021, 12:12

I enjoyed myself while reading this book. I’ll always remember the emotions I felt while reading this

asteel18 · Post by **asteel18** » 29 Nov 2021, 12:25

I'm so glad I stopped by this morning. I'm excited to read something that I can't put down. Thanks for your review!

The fabulous · Post by **The fabulous** » 15 Dec 2021, 10:19

Same here too. First time I'm hearing about that genre. Nice review.

Emmanuella C Arumeze · Post by **Emmanuella C Arumeze** » 15 Dec 2021, 11:20

Family does not always have to be blood. This is absolutely intriguing, thank you for your honest review.

Chiwelite O · Post by **Chiwelite O** » 15 Dec 2021, 11:25

It's good to see these amazing women bonding and being a source or support to each other. I'm curious to know if they bonded better.

Amynwankwo_ · Post by **Amynwankwo_** » 16 Dec 2021, 01:06

This is amazing! Reminds me of ‘Kalayla’ by Jeanie Nicholas. Indeed, family doesn’t always have to be our blood relatives. I would love to read this book and find out how they were all able to overcome their different challenges together