Razorblade Tears

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Gritty, raw, and unforgettable.This book hit hard—two fathers, one Black and one white, teaming up to avenge their murdered sons. It’s violent, emotional, and full of heart. Cosby doesn’t shy away from tough themes like race, homophobia, and redemption, and still delivers a fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat thriller. A must-read if you want a crime novel that cuts deep.

Beautiful and devastating! It made me laugh and ugly cry! This was my first S.A Cosby read, and I can't praise it enough. I'm excited to deep dive into the rest of his work!

Actually really good. While I do have some criticisms, like the many typos, I honestly don't think I can fault the author for that. This book was too good. The storyline? I mean it literally read like a show or a movie. The amount of drama. The action. My ability to visualize the characters. The driveeeee. The thing that is driving them. The thing that I can identify with so strongly, that culminates in that perfectly, bittersweet ending. Ugh! You can just tell this book was written by a black man. It touched on so many cultural points. This is my second S.A. Cosby book in probably like a month and I can honestly say I'm happy to be out of my reading slump. I'll try to read something else but if I come back to him? I won't be surprised lol

This book does an incredible job of turning unlikable characters into people I’d want to have a meal with. I sincerely hope a movie is in the works.

“How many chances does a man get to make the right decision before fate decides he doesn’t deserve another bite at the apple?” I was numb after I finished this book. This story was not what I was expecting it to evolve into. It is the story of two dads, one black and one white, in Virginia, who learn to forgive, evolve as souls, and set out to avenge the death of their married gay sons.After the very brutal murder of their sons, these two dads come together to pick up where the police or public wouldn’t go. It does takes place in Virginia and the vernacular is very southern throughout the story. The people, the places, the attitudes, the coarse language, the visceral responses, the gangs, and every little nuance of the south is very tactfully depicted. These are also not normal family men, they are reformed criminals, very common, and they were also not good fathers. In fact, they did not have good relationships with their sons at all because of prejudice and homophobia. It is only in their quest for justice and vengeance, they evolve to become fathers.The first few chapters already had me in tears, I couldn’t turn pages fast enough to learn what was coming next. Action, suspense, twists, and lamentations on forgiveness. The ending was touching and the closing sentence brought everything home and renews hope for anyone out there who might have a heart that needs changing and to welcome acceptance of every type of human soul in our world. Though it was not in the most noble or peaceful way, honor was restored and acceptance and forgiveness came at the end.I grew up knowing men like Ike and Buddy Lee. They were friends of the family, they were community members, they were from a different time and different ideological generation. They really were good men at heart, rough around the edges at times, but a lot of things they did not understand at the time came about eventually, as they grew in age and sagacity. My parents also loved us all unconditionally, but I still felt the pain these young men must have gone through. No parent should ever treat their child terribly or with hate because of who they are and who they love. (describing the South): “The sun was dipping lower than a ballroom dancer. The tribe of country critters began to chant, their nightly prayers. Frogs, crickets, and mockingbirds, all sang songs of praise to their various gods.”“Droplets of sweat ran down his face and dripped into his eyes. Tears ran from his eyes and stung his cheeks. Tears for his son. Tears for his wife. Tears for the little girl they had to raise. Tears for who they were and what they all had lost. Each drop felt like it was slicing his face open like a razor blade.”(in discussion about accepting his son’s lifestyle): “We both made a lot of mistakes with him. He wasn’t abhorrent. He wasn’t sacrilegious. He was just Derek. That should’ve been good enough for both of us. He said this with a tenderness he didn’t think himself capable of anymore.”“Buddy Lee screamed until his words ran together and became an unintelligible song of sorrows.”It’s never too late to forgive and/or start over when it comes to family at home or the human family in general. Love is love. We were asked, according to the second greatest commandment, to love your neighbor as yourself.5/5 🌟 I did my best not to include any spoilers. It does contain very mature language and story content. Everyone and especially LGBTQ friends, allies, and families should read this poignant book.