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maple_dove's review against another edition
challenging
tense
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
3.0
Favorite Quotes:
Adults rarely like being told that they don't have all the answers, or worse still, that the answers they do have are all the wrong ones.
If you want to start an explosion, you light a match in the dynamite factory.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Mental illness, Racism, Sexual assault, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Death, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Misogyny, and Excrement
durrareadsstuff's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
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
I'm a Malaysian, and the only thing I knew about 13th May was that it was a bloodbath fueled by racism and it was something I used to include in my essays about unity to make me sound smart. I don't recall anyone really talking about it and I was too much of a coward to find out for myself. Although it took a while, I'm glad I finally read this book. Besides covering the incident itself and the racism issue behind it, the author also did a fine job—in my opinion—writing about anxiety, OCD, and the stigma surrounding mental illness in Malaysia. Even a half-century later, the things mentioned in the book is still quite prominent. That, to me, was all too real and just devastating.
All that aside, I'd say Melati's character development was done amazingly. However, I do think that the arc was a little bit rushed in the end. I think it's important to create a narrative that is able to incite feelings from the readers, and the author did just that. I felt sad when she mentioned her family or her OCD (god knows how many times I cried), worried when she thought of her mother, or when she thought someone saw her counting, and I was rooting for her all the way. The thing that awed me most though, was Frankie's arc. I like that the backstory was also included so we can sort of understand where all the hate is coming from.Even though they didn't really become friends afterwards, but I think he's come along way, and that's such an important thing to include in the story, how it's not too late for people to see sense and stop hating each other.
All that aside, I'd say Melati's character development was done amazingly. However, I do think that the arc was a little bit rushed in the end. I think it's important to create a narrative that is able to incite feelings from the readers, and the author did just that. I felt sad when she mentioned her family or her OCD (god knows how many times I cried), worried when she thought of her mother, or when she thought someone saw her counting, and I was rooting for her all the way. The thing that awed me most though, was Frankie's arc. I like that the backstory was also included so we can sort of understand where all the hate is coming from.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
Minor: Bullying, Fatphobia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, and Vomit