Reviews tagging 'Death'

Against the Loveless World by Susan Abulhawa

97 reviews

art_anthology's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I give this book five stars because it ultimately has me thinking about it even when the book was closed.
I knew how short the book was and really rationed each page so that i could absorb every word, every character and every emotion that was buried within this story.

Not only was I engrossed in the ficticious life events of Nahr, which culminated in a pilgrimage of self understanding. Her pondering yet piercing stillness that plagued "the cube chapters", cruely took a hold of my heart and I could not look away from the horrors detailed. It is heartbreaking but nessesary to be constantly faced with the cruelty of man.

Each character was surrounded in a veil of humanity that impacted their thoughts feelings and actions. Bot one character was the same at the beginning and end, something thst truly stood out to me.

Take for instance the strong, dominating matriarch Sitti Wasfiyeh complex relationship with all her closest family is devastatingly human. Even as we read her jibes and remarks seem to become background noise and we are acustomed to her quirks.
Just like we are part of the family we begin to remember that
"We're all she has in the world "

Abulhawa creates perfectly imperfect characters, who otherwise would be labeled as morally grey (a descriptor that i personall  feel should stay in  fantasy)yet who when allowed to interact with others bring out their inermost self and prove to be some of the most compelling chatacters. Yes I am talking about

Um Buraq

This is a good book to understand the Palestinian experience, Abulhaw never looses sight of the real-life backdrop thatvthe characters are placed within. As a fictional memoir that is so tragically rooted in oppression, key emphasis is put into educating the readers by immersing them in the cultural landscape that spans not only the hillofand vinyards of Palestine but the Ocean of Kuwait and the bustle of Jordan.  I feel that this book has layed a foundation that i know that i will continue to build on when I consume media about the Middle East, specifically these 3 countries.

I'm not going anywhere. I’m tired of being chased out of wherever I am in the world. Out of Haifa, then out of Ein el-Sultan, then Jordan, and now Kuwait? No. I’ll just die here instead of facing another exodus. I’m too old for this shit that these shit people keep doing to us. Shit. All of it—shit!”
-Sitti Wasfiyeh 

Each time Palestinian Embroidery was discussed honestly it filled my heart with so much joy and warmth ( yes i did cry each time).  I encourage all to explore the rich beauty in Tatreez ( embroidery) patterns. So that we can all marvel at the intricacy and skill of all artisans.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Rape, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Death, Genocide, Torture, and Abortion

Content warnings I wouldnt consider these spoilers but want to be considerate

The main character works as a prostitute, and there is moderate detail. This is primarily at the beginning of the novel. About half way through the novel she is raped again with moderate detail. Then near the end she reflects briefly on her experiences. All the way through there are sexist comments that relate to her prostitution.

aw_nf15's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Islamophobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Murder, Colonisation, War, and Classism

amyrose23's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Rape, and War

skb163's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I wasn't sure how to feel about this book when I first started reading. It took me a while to finish it. I found myself wanting to know what happened next in Nahr's life. I learned much from this book. This book a heavy and beautifully written. It is sad but fills you with hope. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Violence

Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, and War

Minor: Cancer, Cursing, Death, Abortion, and Alcohol

nineinchnails's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

this was another heartwrenching book from abulhawa. there's something about the way she weaves a story that really draws me in. just like Mornings in Jenin this deals with some very topics, so it was hard to read huge chunks in one sitting. despite being a work of fiction it's very clearly grounded in and inspired by real historical (and current) events so it's hard to "enjoy" this for its story without feeling an immense sense of grief for the countless victims of israel. the main character was initially fairly detached from and unmoved by palestine, and experiencing her (re)discovery of her homeland was incredibly touching. the writing in general was beautiful, and both the setting and the pacing were very intriguing. despite all the horror and trauma the characters find community with one another and i found myself almost forgetting how painful the rest of the book was at parts. 

i particularly enjoy more character driven novels so while i noticed a change in pace later on, i didn't ever feel like it dragged before that point - this might be a slight issue for some readers. i'd recommend this to anyone and everyone but there is a big focus on sexual violence in the first part of this novel, so i think it's worth checking the trigger warnings before you pick this one up.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Trafficking, Grief, and Colonisation

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Infertility, Torture, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Abortion, Fire/Fire injury, War, Classism, and Deportation

Minor: Ableism, Cancer, Homophobia, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Vomit, Antisemitism, Islamophobia, and Death of parent

Prostitution/Sex work

twitchywitchy314's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This book was a beautifully gut wrenching read. Stories of what it's like to live as a refugee, to live under siege and occupation and of resistance and of love that endures despite brutal oppression. A must read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Islamophobia, Trafficking, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Colonisation

Moderate: Death and Homophobia

emersoncochran's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Violence

Moderate: Cancer, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Homophobia, and Abortion

Minor: Sexual assault

umm_igor's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Genocide, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Medical trauma, Abortion, Abandonment, and Colonisation

Minor: Animal death

readandfindout's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

Style/writing: 4.5 stars
Themes: 5 stars
Characters: 4.5 stars
Plot: 4.5 stars

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Murder, Colonisation, and War

abeilleabbie's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Grief

Moderate: Death, Genocide, Misogyny, Racism, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Trafficking, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation

Minor: Infertility, Infidelity, Sexism, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Alcohol