Scan barcode
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
clare072'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: Child death, Death, Genocide, Homophobia, Racism, Sexual content, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, Car accident, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Drug use, Blood, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Minor: Animal death and Colonisation
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
andyourstruly's review against another edition
4.75
The best way of describing it is that genre of book where someone in the main character's life has just died, leaving behind a tangled web of mystery for the MC to unravel and resolve ... from the dead person's point of view.
The author does an amazing job painting the political landscape of Sri Lankan politics in the 70s-90s in all of its complexity and using it as a vehicle to reveal the story as opposed to allowing it to bog the story down. The main character is jaded and unlikeable, but the slow reveal throughout the book of what leads him to be like that and the dynamics involved was really impressively handled. I really loved the ending and the way that the author doesn't pretend to try to fix everything.
I read this book because a friend of a friend told me that her book club had read it and that everyone but her had said that, while they liked it, they would not recommend it as a book club book, a sentiment that she had disagreed with. Having now read it, I have to agree with my friend's friend: if these aren't the topics we discuss in a book club, then what are?
Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, Suicide, Violence, Police brutality, Car accident, Murder, and War
Moderate: Child death, Drug use, Sexual assault, Torture, and Death of parent
Go into this book on your guard, my friend.cat_22'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
5.0
Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Racism, Torture, Violence, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Homophobia, Sexual content, and Grief
Minor: Kidnapping, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Colonisation
mrlsdevos's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Child death, Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Racism, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Car accident, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Child death, Mental illness, Slavery, Suicide, Car accident, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, and Classism
alisonvh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Homophobia, Infidelity, Racism, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, and War
economydreams'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
Graphic: Death, Violence, Xenophobia, Car accident, Murder, and War
Moderate: Homophobia, Suicide, Torture, Police brutality, and Kidnapping
Minor: Animal death, Drug use, Death of parent, and Alcohol
sorcha's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Death, Murder, and War
Moderate: Homophobia, Infidelity, Sexual content, Torture, and Kidnapping
Minor: Addiction, Cancer, Suicide, Blood, Car accident, Death of parent, and Alcohol
aristarcodisamo's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Racism, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cursing, Drug use, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Kidnapping, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and Classism
Minor: Addiction, Cancer, Alcohol, and Dysphoria