Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

Patsy by Nicole Dennis-Benn

29 reviews

eclecticreadswithash's review against another edition

challenging emotional 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? Yes

5.0

💬 "To Patsy, who hasn't dreamed in years, America is a coffin." 

WOW! More people should know about this book!! 

Patsy, a Jamaican woman, gets a visa to America, longing to be with her childhood friend and crush Cicely. In doing so, she leaves her five-year-old daughter, Tru, behind. What follows is a beautifully written, nuanced story of immigration, motherhood, and growing up feeling unwanted. It smoothly alternatives between Patsy and her undocumented life in New York, and Tru still in Jamaica trying to get by without her mother. 

This book was gut punch after gut punch. I was truly in awe of everything that Patsy and Tru went through. It didn't leave me always rooting for Patsy and I think that's really important. Patsy's decisions were never easy, but that also doesn't make her a good person. 

It's an incredibly relevant story to tell today with immigration being such a hot topic and I'd encourage anyone to give it a try. It will stick with you for a while! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm

Moderate: Body shaming, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Blood, Suicide attempt, and Abandonment

bookishevy's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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

Hey, book besties! It's #pridemonth but it's also #caribbeanamericanheritagemonth when we celebrate Caribbean immigrants and their descendents. Since Caribbean authors are highlighted with #readcaribbean I decided to travel to Jamaica with the #readtheworld challenge, even though I was there IRL last week 😆 As a Carib girl, I'm here to tell you that if you're not reading books by Caribbean authors, you're doing yourself a disservice. There are amazing stories by authors with Carib backgrounds. Stories like the one below. 

Patsy leaves six-year-old Tru in the care of her father to follow her oldest friend and love Cicely to NYC. Cicely sells Patsy a NY that is brimming with opportunities for good work and for them to be themselves, but Patsy soon realizes that things don't come easily for undocumented immigrants and sometimes one has to conform to make it in the U.S. Ironically, Patsy gets a job working as a nanny while her daughter lives the life of a motherless child.

My thoughts during this read:  Patsy choosing selfhood over motherhood doesn't make her a villain. Why is it more tragic for a mother to leave a child than when a father does it?  Patsy put Cicely on a pedestal for the same reason others did: colorism. Cicely is experiencing a different NYC. Patsy feels invisible, but returning home is admitting failure and having to face Tru. The guilt Patsy feels is palpable. 

Tru has to deal with the jealousy she feels when other kids in her school get barrels of goodies from their parents abroad. Being a barrel child isn't the same as having her mother, but it would make her feel less forgotten. She's struggling with a depression that comes with abandonment while also trying to be accepted for who she is. Through Patsy's flashbacks and Tru's experiences, the reader gets a sense of what it's like growing up queer in the Caribbean. 

This is such a great book that explores motherhood and the different types of immigrant experiences and the discrimination undocumented immigrants endure not just by Americans but also by other immigrants from their own countries. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, and Suicide

Moderate: Homophobia and Violence

chanteld's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective slow-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

4.0

Personally triggering but so good. I can't wait to see what Dennis Benn creates next. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Miscarriage, and Sexual assault

arisol's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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? Yes

4.5

For a novel that I picked up without a direct recommendation, I enjoyed this tremendously. The storyline gripped me and the characters touched me in a way that I didn't expect. I so appreciate the way the emotions and their specific relationship with mental health are described, so subtle while obvious in their descriptions for what they represent. I can tell so much heart and soul went into the novel in a way I appreciate immensely and makes me want to read more by this author.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Self harm, Transphobia, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts

nefariousbee's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective tense slow-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? Yes

5.0

this was such a surprise. I picked it almost randomly for a reading challenge and it grabbed me by the heart and squeezed until my chest hurt before I could realize what was happening.
I ugly cried. I relate to Patsy and Cicely's story and seeing the culmination broke something in me. my heart doesn't let go either. and this was a very painful reminder of that.
above all, this books is so honest about so many *ugly* things. the reality of being undocumented, the illusion of ingrained motherhood, the social pressure on queerness. I appreciate the book for all of that so much.
it's not an easy read, but it's one that stays with you.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Death, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Transphobia, Blood, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Abandonment, and Classism

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Gun violence, Police brutality, Death of parent, and Deportation

filmnoirz's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• 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

3.75

this covers so many topics and issues prevalent in jamaican culture- and hit me and my mommy issues right in the gut.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia and Xenophobia

Moderate: Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual assault, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Racism

gidget_selby's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Sexual assault

Moderate: Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Abortion, and Suicide attempt

on_a_journey's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

• 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

I enjoyed this novel. It was a great depiction of how migrating to another country is different for everyone and also how the struggles are similar for people who may have good or decent standing in their previous countries cross over the ocean and just have to make a way possible. Also the quote that depicts this exploration is, the grass is always greener on the other side. The stories presented in this book about the various people that migrated (though the main story is about Patsy) was well thought out. I enjoyed the setting of the times in both Jamaica and America, it was a walk back in recent history. However, I struggled with the child abandonment portion of the story because though Patsy had her reasons I still struggled with understanding why she didn't try to contact Tru for so many years. Also, to make it worse someone had to come into her life to give her a nudge to face her fear and contact her only child. I do agree with previous reviewers that the ending seemed very rushed and I would like to see more about Patsy and Tru rekindling their relationship and not just hear the letter that was written.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Toxic friendship

yuyuv's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Biphobia, Body shaming, Bullying, Abortion, and Alcohol

khakipantsofsex's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, and Suicide