Reviews tagging 'Medical content'

Against the Loveless World by Susan Abulhawa

6 reviews

ka_cam's review

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

Moderate: War and Abortion

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

sirissacgluten's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Violence, Rape, Sexual assault, War, Colonisation, Genocide, and Grief

Moderate: Blood, Islamophobia, Abortion, and Sexism

Minor: Death of parent, Drug use, Excrement, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Police brutality, Vomit, Alcohol, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Terminal illness, Torture, Antisemitism, Hate crime, Infertility, Infidelity, Medical content, and Medical trauma

kirstenf's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Colonisation, Police brutality, Abortion, Death, Torture, Miscarriage, War, Antisemitism, Child death, Death of parent, Genocide, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infertility, Murder, Sexual content, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Medical content, Infidelity, and Cancer

Minor: Pregnancy, Sexism, and Drug use

fromjuliereads's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring sad 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? Yes

4.0

This book was such an emotional rollercoaster and such a difficult read. But wow. It was so incredible, raw, graphic, hopeful. I found it to be incredibly difficult and sad to read at the beginning through so many of Nahr's experiences. As the story goes on, there is more and more hope. 

I think it was a hard read because you know even though this is fiction, there are people with stories like this, people like other characters in the book. 
Definitely recommend but check the trigger warnings. 

I will admit that it has a slower start and I struggled with the pacing and the plot at the beginning, just with it being such graphic and difficult experiences written for a long portion. But as the story evolved and broadened it made more sense why it started out that way. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Blood, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Gun violence, Homophobia, Islamophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Alcohol, Child death, Chronic illness, Colonisation, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, and Outing

Minor: Cancer, Terminal illness, and Vomit

sjanke2's review

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Blood, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Islamophobia, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Racism, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, and Xenophobia

Minor: Cancer, Car accident, Dementia, Death of parent, Excrement, and Fire/Fire injury

kdawns13's review

challenging dark emotional informative reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

This book is incredible. The emotion is tangible, and it's hard not to be totally sucked into the character's lives. Some of the dialogue was a little "girlboss"-esque, but everything felt genuine, and it didn't detract from the plot in the slightest. Definitely a worthwhile read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Murder, Confinement, Sexual content, Medical content, Sexism, Terminal illness, Hate crime, Abortion, Death, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Islamophobia, Medical trauma, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, and Violence