Reviews tagging 'Trafficking'

Oryx And Crake by Margaret Atwood

68 reviews

ellieoopsie's review against another edition

dark reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

Weird book to say you enjoyed given the subject matter. Atwood manages to talk about some of the worst human impluses with a dry humor which stops the on-the-nose commentry from feeling too preachy. The mixture of past and present in the chapters keeps you engaged, wanting to pull the treads and find out what happens. The creation of world is so strong and intriguing, familiar and futuristic. This book made me think of Cat's Cradle and Our Missing Hearts with a tone more aligned with the former. Give the content warnings a squiz before you read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Trafficking

Moderate: Child abuse and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Animal cruelty

kyrabou's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Trafficking

Moderate: Animal cruelty and Pandemic/Epidemic

hannacolm's review against another edition

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Trafficking, and Pandemic/Epidemic

opossumble's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Pedophilia, Trafficking, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Sexual content, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol, and War

elm45's review against another edition

dark funny reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Pedophilia, and Trafficking

Minor: Animal death

violator's review against another edition

dark reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

mad_kling's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

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

3.5

I didn’t dislike this book. I was intrigued from the start with Atwood’s world building as well as the flashes between past and present, and I think she executed that aspect very well. The middle was a little bit of a slog, but otherwise she builds tension excellently and by the last quarter of the book my heart was pounding again as everything began to reveal itself and subsequently collapse. 
What I wasn’t crazy about is how Oryx (as well as every other woman besides Jimmy’s mother) was portrayed. I understand that we are receiving information through the POV of a guy with some severe mommy issues and a deeply damaged perception of women as talking fleshlights. I also have enough media literacy to get that we aren’t supposed to find any of these characters admirable, and Atwood is certainly not endorsing all thoughts or actions of these characters. But it’s insane to me how little we get to know about one of the book’s titular characters. Oryx is a sex doll and a puppet to the very end.
It’s very clear that Jimmy never actually loved her, or even saw her as a person—he just wanted someone to save, or save him. So it makes sense why we never got to see anything but the traumatic backstory that Jimmy wrung out of her. But I would have loved to see more of her inner world, what she actually felt about what was going on, her joy, her sadness, her rage. And for her to stop saying Jimmy’s name so fucking much. 
It’s possible that I was just hoping in the end that this would be a different, kinder book than the one I got. Of course that’s a pipe dream. Atwood is an excellent writer, but from what I’ve read of her books, I don’t think she’s a benevolent one. 
I’ll be trying to wrap my head around what I just read for the next couple days. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Trafficking, and Pandemic/Epidemic

parkbenj's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark sad medium-paced

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

3.5

Like many others the only other Margaret Atwood book I have read is Handmaid’s Tale. Unsurprisingly Oryx and Crake is also deeply disturbing, with multiple chapters containing unnecessarily graphic descriptions of the physical and sexual abuse of children. I say unnecessary because I skipped over these scenes and did not feel like I’d missed anything important. Especially as the abused child in question (Oryx) has zero character development and seems to only serve as a plot device to move Jimmy/Snowman’s story forward.
That being said Margaret really is a beautiful writer and as she said of Handmaid’s Tale “nothing went into it that had not happened in real life somewhere at some time.”
I don’t agree with the reviews that say this book is slow and boring, her descriptions and storytelling are truly captivating.
I think this book is worth a read as long as you go in prepared to read many deeply disturbing scenes.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Trafficking, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

sydthewitch's review against another edition

This was painfully slow to start and difficult to totally follow, so I looked at other reviews. I found that it continues much the same way, and I learned that it has rather prolonged and graphic descriptions of child trafficking, which I hadn't previously known and don't care to read at this time. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Trafficking

aromarrie's review against another edition

mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

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

Happy Birthday, Jimmy. May All Your Dreams Come True.

~read for human biology course~

my god, was this a time. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Trafficking, Grief, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Death of parent and Injury/Injury detail