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forestfloor's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I found a lot of this book really compelling: the characters, the descriptions of Sri Lanka, the world building of the afterlife. I didn't know anything about Sri Lanka before and it certainly made Sri Lankan '80s politics intriguing.
However, I found the prose quite difficult to follow - I didn't really get into it until about half way through. This is probably in part because it's written in second person, which isn't my personal favourite. I think that the concept of being able to go where your name is spoken was really cool but it resulted in a constant jumping between locations and interactions which was also interspersed with past memories and I found it quite disjointed - it didn't make for easy reading.
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, and War
Moderate: Homophobia, Infidelity, and Racism
Minor: Suicide and Death of parent
sydneyrose18's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Homophobia, Infidelity, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicide, Torture, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
bluedijon's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Racism, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Colonisation, War, and Classism
heatherjchin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Death, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
not_dead_yet's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
The chaotic structure of the writing draws you in to the chaos of the forces driving the civil war. The chaos continues after death without missing a beat.
Graphic: Gore, Homophobia, Racism, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and War
Moderate: Drug use, Genocide, Infidelity, Suicide, Kidnapping, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
mittensmcgee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Violence, and War
Moderate: Gore, Suicide, and Colonisation
jenbosen's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Homophobia, Racism, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Murder, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail
mwritesdragons's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Gore, Racism, Suicide, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, Murder, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
slimyfan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Gore, Homophobia, Violence, Xenophobia, and War
Moderate: Sexual harassment
lilaccoconut_bookclub's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The imagery, the mythology, the historical context, and even the 2nd-person narrative. I usually hate 2nd-person, but this was done so thoroughly well that I loved it. It made me reconsider my bias against 2nd person. The entire story was poignant, intriguing, and hopeful in its own way. Not only that, it gave me the opportunity to learn more about Sri Lanka.
In the end, when he finds out how he died (because that's the whole point) and he
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gore, and War
Moderate: Homophobia, Torture, Grief, Murder, and Alcohol
Minor: Suicide