Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

In the Distance by Hernán Díaz

5 reviews

carojust's review

adventurous hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

This is a story about survival, solitude, human connection, and the great frontier. It's centered around a true hero, Håkan, a boy from Sweden who is lost and alone upon arriving in San Francisco, wandering into old age. 

Hernan Diaz has the ability to create such a vivid world with what feels like effortless simplicity. Like in "Trust," he's able to illustrate every detail with historical loyalty, drawing you into worlds of goldmining, Native American families, naturalists, and the animals, deserts and plains of America. 

A good portion of the book is dedicated to Håkan's isolation away from a society that has traumatized him, and these moments of carefully learning how to survive remind me so much of "I Who Have Never Known Men." If you love that book, you'll love this one. Both heroes are innocent in how they perceive other humans, while entirely shaped by nature. 

Also, that loyal burro, I hope he lived a happy life 🥺

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

msawyer77's review

adventurous dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

savvylit's review

adventurous reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

"The vastness around him was now his flesh. And yet, nothing - not the countless footsteps taken or knowledge acquired, not the adversaries bested or the friends made, not the love felt or the blood shed - had made it his."

In theory, I did not think this would be a book I would enjoy. Historical fiction about a lone man experiencing violence and desolation? Typically not my genre. However, In the Distance is an incredible book and Håkan is a captivating protagonist. Hernan Diaz writes so artfully and efficiently - I don't think there is a single superfluous word in this novel. Often reading like an early American folktale, this novel follows Håkan on a sort of anti-hero's journey. He constantly gets swept up in situations that he'd rather avoid. Some of the situations are so extreme that they invite disbelief. However, Diaz somehow manages to keep Håkan's story convincing all the way up to the perfect ending.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Confinement, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Murder

libtea's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Violence, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment

haley313's review against another edition

adventurous dark reflective sad slow-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Reading this book felt like watching a movie in my head. Hernan Diaz is a masterful writer and an amazing storyteller. I loved Hakan. I loved the way that historical fiction blended with magical realism and we followed Hakan’s journey across the wide and wild west.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Physical abuse, and Rape