DISCLAIMER: I received this book for free from a Goodreads First Reads giveaway. 
 Boy, Snow, Bird is not what I expected, after reading a blurb billing it as a retelling of Snow White. There are plenty of similarities and nods to the famous fairy tale, to be sure, though it's not exactly a retelling. But what is it? I found the writing to be that good, solid kind which makes you read certain sentences and passages over again to be sure you're milking all the meaning you can from it, and savoring what you just read. 
 There's just so, so much going on. A main character with an abused childhood. A close-knit small town where people don't just fit in, they need to try to fit in. A family (and then some) of light-skinned African-Americans that actively pass for white people. Their dark-skinned relatives, and how they react, especially in the 1950s setting. People with unusual names, who do unexpected things, plus mirrors that fit into the story in a nearly haunting manner. 
 I do enjoy a quirky read, and this fits that bill. If it all came together better, or the story blended and felt more cohesive, I would probably have loved this book. Yet I didn't feel connected enough to some of the characters that I could understand some of their decisions. What mostly kept this from getting a higher rating from me is the ending. (view spoiler)[ I was hoping for some resolution, maybe some additional insight into character motivations. Or just a satisfying conclusion. Instead, the last section of the book felt out of left and unnecessary. (hide spoiler)] 
 Still, Oyeyemi has a way with words. This is a book that immediately after I finished, I wished so badly that a friend had read it, so that we could get together RIGHT THEN and talk about it. Oh, and while it's minor, it's worth noting that even though my copy is plastered with a few warnings about how it's an ARC, an uncorrected proof, that I did not find any errors. I wasn't looking for them, but I usually find enough in a non-ARC that I expected at least a few to pop up. Nicely done, y'all.