Reviews tagging 'Child death'

Against the Loveless World by Susan Abulhawa

30 reviews

cecereads__'s review against another edition

5.0

This book is full of heart. Of longing, displacement, confinement, tragedy, love, heartbreak, horrors, revolt, strength, emotion, grace, dignity, humanity, inhumanity, honesty, empathy, and I (clearly) could go on.
The story it tells is utterly profound, and I am so grateful to have read it. All the horrors of occupation, oppression, misogyny, murder and injustices included - bc it is the truth.
I was infuriated by the violence and volatile, undignified humiliation tactics and pure evil that Palestinians face.
What a historical, enlightening and powerful tale.
There were maybe two pages that I wanted to move past a bit quicker, but I was completely spellbound by the complexity (simply put) of love and life from the perspective that we are afforded with this novel.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror, Cancer, Child death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Grief, Medical trauma, Abortion, Murder, Outing, Alcohol, and Colonisation

milanaradic's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny informative inspiring reflective sad tense 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Gun violence, Homophobia, Racism, Sexual assault, Abortion, and War

jassiecones's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny sad tense slow-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? It's complicated

5.0

This tore me to pieces and put me back together in a way I can’t fully express. A harrowing story that I will never forget

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, Blood, and War

cosycorvid's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Medical content, Dementia, Trafficking, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation

jordanrisa's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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? N/A

4.5

A story that immediately sucks you in, following rich, complex and unapologetic characters who live in the gray area of good and bad in a world that demands you see them as only the latter. It’s a journey through Kuwait, Jordan, Palestine and eventually, a prison in Israel. It is full of history and perspectives often untold. And at the heart of this story, is one of love — of self, of family and of deep, intimate romance. 

It is one I highly recommend — one that will challenge and also enrich you. I couldn’t put it down.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Trafficking, Colonisation, and War

anna_wa's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Trafficking, Grief, Abortion, Murder, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and War

Moderate: Homophobia, Excrement, Vomit, and Antisemitism

eeriekeri's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Rape, Abortion, and Colonisation

Moderate: Child death, Death, Homophobia, Infertility, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Torture, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, and Murder

ka_cam's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective tense fast-paced

• 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

4.75

Ooph, an intense read. Nahr’s rage and numbness at the violence she experiences and witnesses are at time visceral in this reflective navigation of a Palestinian woman in Istraeli solitary confinement reflecting on her life in Kuwait, Jordan, and Palestine. Doesn’t shy away from sexual, structural, and interpersonal violence so please mind the content warnings. I felt the Palestinian characters could have been a bit less rosy/more complex, but with the narrator’s shifting mental state what lacks in the story can be excused for the narrator. Compellingly and sometimes beautifully written esp for such heavy subjects. Highly, highly recommend

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Abortion and War

Minor: Ableism, Addiction, Animal death, Cancer, Child death, Racial slurs, and Medical content

thewordsdevourer's review

emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

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

4.0

against the loveless world tells an important, often silenced story, and is one that's fortunately told well, much to all our benefit. it's a sprawling story of a palestinian woman and refugee, and a moving tale abt palestine and its courageous resistance, all brimming w/ love and empathy.

i like how the novel chronicles the personal, individual story - that of the main character nahr, specifically - in a way that nevertheless relays the bigger tale of palestine and its culture. nahr goes thru a lot of ups and downs, her incredibly difficult decisions shaped by larger political forces out of desperation for survival. her growth from a naive teenage girl, to a woman free of shame or care for social conventions, to a hardened political prisoner is a tumultuous one that im sure is similar to those of many palestinian refugees'. i also rly like her relationship w/ bilal, who's almost unrealistically understanding and loving, and the ending gives me much hope.

what touches me most abt this book, however, is the love so clearly seen and felt it has for palestine and its ppl. my fav scenes are those in palestine, particularly ones that take place in and around hajjeh um mhammad and bilal's home: the serene, expansive nature; the sense of community from everyone coming tgt for harvests, celebrations, homecomings; the culture lovingly relayed thru food, cooking, customs. despite the ever encroaching israeli settlements and violent political + military forces, palestinians survive and persist both above- and underground, finding joy in the small things, their love for their community and country ever present even in the face of outrageous injustice and hatred from both israel and the world that simply looks on.

i'd say that the novel's major weakness is the political activities by bilal and co, esp pertaining to the underground city. the covert activities occur thruout the second half in stops and starts, w/ too lil action imo for the amount of prep taken. the underground resistance always lurks on the fringes, and is perhaps a very fitting symbolism, but nahr's connection to it is too obscure for me personally. the last showdown also seems an uncharacteristic misstep on bilal's part esp considering not only the high stakes but his personal stakes in it all, and im still a lil confused at the timing and why it went down like that.

nevertheless, this is an important story - not only bc it's a voice from an oft silenced group of ppl whos been facing continuous oppression and colonization, but also as a story on its own. told from a fierce narrator who's inspiring in her no-fvcks-given ways, the novel brims w/ love for its community, culture and country, and would hopefully spur many of its readers into action, like it did me. last but not least, fvck israel.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Violence, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Death, Homophobia, Infidelity, Sexual content, Torture, Abortion, and Murder

Minor: Child death, Infertility, and Miscarriage

battlecat's review against another edition

challenging emotional 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

Wow. 

Nahr is an incredible voice truly “against a loveless world.” The trauma she endures is difficult to read. The love and kinship and belonging she finds and makes in the midst of turmoil is a powerful statement. I read this book in a day and will definitely be rereading. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Police brutality, Colonisation, and War

Minor: Child death, Racial slurs, Abortion, and Alcohol