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_moomin's review against another edition
God. This book has so much potential and some beautiful moments but it is SO BORING between those bits. The author repeats motifs and phrases so frequently and inelegantly that it takes the reader out of the story. I have no reason to pick this up again. You keep waiting for Pinto to be able to return to Sarajevo or for him to have any control over the events of his life, but it's world war I and he's a gay Bosnian Jew so of course he can't do either of those things! Great characters and often pretty prose but too repetitive and slow-paced for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Antisemitism, and War
Moderate: Rape and Islamophobia
likemindedbooks's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
The World and All That It Holds by Aleksandar Hemon (The Lazarus Project) is brutal, beautiful and an absolute masterpiece. I was riveted by the audiobook, the narration of which was expertly done and very authentic to the voice and tone of this piece. There are plenty of trigger warnings that would normally perhaps prevent me from picking this book up (lots of wartime violence--gore, torture, and sexual assault) but it is part of the reality of this world in the backdrop of the exceptionally tender and raw love story between the two MCs. It was difficult emotionally at times but worth it. A powerfully human novel that will stay with me a very long time. Thank you to MacMillan audio for the advanced listening copy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Antisemitism, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail