Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

Against the Loveless World by Susan Abulhawa

96 reviews

proudtobeabookaholic's review against another edition

dark hopeful informative sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Hate crime, Rape, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Colonisation, and Deportation

Minor: Cancer, Child death, Gun violence, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Excrement, Grief, Abortion, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual harassment

autumn33344's review

emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Trafficking, and Colonisation

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Death, Homophobia, Torture, and War

Minor: Cancer, Drug use, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Terminal illness, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

oberon_lapierre's review

challenging emotional reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

An emotionally intense and absolutely beautiful story

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Genocide, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Islamophobia, Medical trauma, Abortion, Colonisation, and War

Moderate: Cancer, Child death, Death, Infertility, Terminal illness, Excrement, Trafficking, Grief, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

florecita_lectora's review against another edition

challenging emotional 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Genocide, Torture, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, and Colonisation

Moderate: Sexual violence, Grief, and Abortion

Minor: Pregnancy

saucy_bookdragon's review

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

3.5

"But I know now that going from place to place is just something exiles have to do. Whatever the reason, the earth is never steady beneath our feet."

Against the Loveless World is a very thematically charged novel. Following the life of a Palestinian woman named Nahr, she is continuously upheaved by political turmoil leading to her making home in various places including Kuwait, Jordan, and Palestine, eventually landing her in an Israeli prison where she writes her story. Along the way the book discusses a very large variety of topics related to the region, including but not limited to genocide, colonialism, and feminism. It's a fiction novel that reflects the reality for many Palestinians.

The prose was absolutely gorgeous, flowing smoothly and lyrically, immediately transporting the reader into the story. It's pretty episodic and I liked some sections more than others, in particular the one where she was a prostitute and the one where she was actively rebelling against Israel I found the most interesting and poignant. I do wish that the book had lingered more on some aspects as at times it felt as if it was mentioning themes and topics without fleshing them fully out. I also found Nahr to be somewhat distant from the reader, she was often pretty passive and I never felt I really knew what were her personal beliefs and motives. The sections I mentioned enjoying the most where the ones Nahr and the themes were the most fully realized.

There's a lot to unpack and think about with this book and it's a good reminder for me that I still have a lot to learn about Middle Eastern history. It's a thematically rich story about someone marginalized by both her ethnicity and gender, left wayward in a world torn apart by violence. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Genocide, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Islamophobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Murder, and Colonisation

Moderate: Antisemitism

thehomiemona's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Confinement, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Violence, Trafficking, Alcohol, Colonisation, and War

Moderate: Death

Minor: Racial slurs and Death of parent

art_anthology's review

emotional informative inspiring 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? No

5.0

I give this book five stars because it ultimately has me thinking about it even when the book was closed.
I knew how short the book was and really rationed each page so that i could absorb every word, every character and every emotion that was buried within this story.

Not only was I engrossed in the ficticious life events of Nahr, which culminated in a pilgrimage of self understanding. Her pondering yet piercing stillness that plagued "the cube chapters", cruely took a hold of my heart and I could not look away from the horrors detailed. It is heartbreaking but nessesary to be constantly faced with the cruelty of man.

Each character was surrounded in a veil of humanity that impacted their thoughts feelings and actions. Bot one character was the same at the beginning and end, something thst truly stood out to me.

Take for instance the strong, dominating matriarch Sitti Wasfiyeh complex relationship with all her closest family is devastatingly human. Even as we read her jibes and remarks seem to become background noise and we are acustomed to her quirks.
Just like we are part of the family we begin to remember that
"We're all she has in the world "

Abulhawa creates perfectly imperfect characters, who otherwise would be labeled as morally grey (a descriptor that i personall  feel should stay in  fantasy)yet who when allowed to interact with others bring out their inermost self and prove to be some of the most compelling chatacters. Yes I am talking about

Um Buraq

This is a good book to understand the Palestinian experience, Abulhaw never looses sight of the real-life backdrop thatvthe characters are placed within. As a fictional memoir that is so tragically rooted in oppression, key emphasis is put into educating the readers by immersing them in the cultural landscape that spans not only the hillofand vinyards of Palestine but the Ocean of Kuwait and the bustle of Jordan.  I feel that this book has layed a foundation that i know that i will continue to build on when I consume media about the Middle East, specifically these 3 countries.

I'm not going anywhere. I’m tired of being chased out of wherever I am in the world. Out of Haifa, then out of Ein el-Sultan, then Jordan, and now Kuwait? No. I’ll just die here instead of facing another exodus. I’m too old for this shit that these shit people keep doing to us. Shit. All of it—shit!”
-Sitti Wasfiyeh 

Each time Palestinian Embroidery was discussed honestly it filled my heart with so much joy and warmth ( yes i did cry each time).  I encourage all to explore the rich beauty in Tatreez ( embroidery) patterns. So that we can all marvel at the intricacy and skill of all artisans.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Rape, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Death, Genocide, Torture, and Abortion

Content warnings I wouldnt consider these spoilers but want to be considerate

The main character works as a prostitute, and there is moderate detail. This is primarily at the beginning of the novel. About half way through the novel she is raped again with moderate detail. Then near the end she reflects briefly on her experiences. All the way through there are sexist comments that relate to her prostitution.

bdingz's review

emotional reflective 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

4.5

This book is so beautifully written. Nahr goes through so many horrific things, but this is as much a story of joy as it is a story of pain and resistance. The characters find solace in each other, as well as simple comforts like food and tea or skincare and nail polish. This could have only been bleak and sad, and it would’ve had every right to be…but it was so much more. 

If you think you can stomach the CWs, read this ASAP.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Genocide, Rape, Sexual violence, and War

Moderate: Torture and Abortion

Minor: Cancer, Homophobia, and Miscarriage

saoliva's review

emotional inspiring reflective 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Rape, Abortion, and Colonisation

ialim01's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, and Colonisation

Moderate: Confinement, Genocide, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail