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rebekka_m's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
sad
medium-paced
- 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
5.0
archytas's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
medium-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? It's complicated
3.25
Mood and atmosphere fuel this novel, which segues between two stories set almost a century apart, with a narrator looking back from an ever further future point. Silences and ellipses abound: characters are mired in confusions driven by repression and assumptions, and desire bubbles up and around attempts to constrain it. At the centre is a farm - a working complex dominated by fear in the past, a lonely ruin in the present. In both, characters forge lives, bringing some of themselves to the place. It feels slight in the end, despite the weight of the story, like a slice or something fleeting.
armelle's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
ratgrrrl's review against another edition
5.0
CN. Arranged Marriages, 'Domestic' Slavery, Imprisonment, and Marital Abuse, Addiction (Heroin), Racism
This was another Audible sale punt that I might never have otherwise picked up, but one I am so very glad I did!
China Room is a beautifully told tale of generational trauma across multiple generations (great grandmother and great grandson) and continents (Punjab in South Asia and Britain) following the intertwined narratives of two relatives leading vastly different lives, both complicated by oppression, denigration, and a loss of self/ freedom. While one deals with the violent misogyny, including the abuse and tantamount slavery of being a Punjabi woman in 1929, the other struggles with the racism, othering, and, most tragically, the effect this is having on his father, falling through depression into heroin addiction.
Both narratives are filled with pain, longing, and dreams of a better, more free and love-filled lives with the weight of oppressive culture and colonialism casting bleak shadows over their lives.
There are moments of joy and hope, but Sahota never sugar coats the pain and trauma in this disparate, but tragically connected lives.
The thing that struck me most powerfully about this novel is the suffocating space taken up by so many of the things causing the pain, suffering, and trauma. It is not as if the book shies away from anything, but the point of harm is so personal and individual that a picture of everything not said explicitly is painted in stark negative space, forever looming over everything. The balance and oppressive force of aspects so clear, but rarely directly expressed is truly astounding and powerful for the contrast.
This is absolutely a lot to read in such a small book, but it is incredibly important and rendered with sublime skill and care.
This was another Audible sale punt that I might never have otherwise picked up, but one I am so very glad I did!
China Room is a beautifully told tale of generational trauma across multiple generations (great grandmother and great grandson) and continents (Punjab in South Asia and Britain) following the intertwined narratives of two relatives leading vastly different lives, both complicated by oppression, denigration, and a loss of self/ freedom. While one deals with the violent misogyny, including the abuse and tantamount slavery of being a Punjabi woman in 1929, the other struggles with the racism, othering, and, most tragically, the effect this is having on his father, falling through depression into heroin addiction.
Both narratives are filled with pain, longing, and dreams of a better, more free and love-filled lives with the weight of oppressive culture and colonialism casting bleak shadows over their lives.
There are moments of joy and hope, but Sahota never sugar coats the pain and trauma in this disparate, but tragically connected lives.
The thing that struck me most powerfully about this novel is the suffocating space taken up by so many of the things causing the pain, suffering, and trauma. It is not as if the book shies away from anything, but the point of harm is so personal and individual that a picture of everything not said explicitly is painted in stark negative space, forever looming over everything. The balance and oppressive force of aspects so clear, but rarely directly expressed is truly astounding and powerful for the contrast.
This is absolutely a lot to read in such a small book, but it is incredibly important and rendered with sublime skill and care.
davschi's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Infertility, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, and Classism
Moderate: Drug use, Rape, Sexual content, Blood, Excrement, Stalking, Pregnancy, Colonisation, and War
Minor: Death and Death of parent
ruby_99's review
emotional
fast-paced
- 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? No
3.5
dara_kossok_spiess's review against another edition
4.0
4 ☆
Sehr gut geschrieben. Nicht lebensverändernd, aber erinnerungswürdig
Sehr gut geschrieben. Nicht lebensverändernd, aber erinnerungswürdig
justmegger's review against another edition
2.0
I listened to the audiobook and honestly had a hard time following along. I think it might have been easier if I read the book so I could better keep track of all the characters. I feel like it’s probably a great book, but I just couldn’t get into the audiobook version
faliiza's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
4.0