Reviews tagging 'Child death'

Perish by LaToya Watkins

8 reviews

nicoleisalwaysreading's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

2.5

a haunting, horrific story of abuse and the way it repeats itself and echoes through a family. It’s well-written with complex characters, but the content was very hard to stomach, especially towards the end (as in, I literally felt sick the last 50 pages or so) another note is that it became very confusing to keep track of the family members because their voices were not very distinct 

I didn’t feel that it resolved itself narratively and the shock ending felt ridiculous. It’s just hard because the story of trauma and potential healing/breaking free of generational patterns is important, but this story left me feeling hopeless

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Pedophilia, Self harm, Abortion, Emotional abuse, Grief, Incest, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, and Drug abuse

Moderate: Forced institutionalization

every. single. content. warning.

arguhlincozzi's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful 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? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Incest, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Abandonment, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Excrement, Grief, Infertility, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Vomit

Amazing but extremely painful book, even though it's all handled with care by the author. Important book.

julsmarshall's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

While beautifully written, this book was difficult to finish and I had to keep taking breaks. The most raw and open exploration of intergenerational violence I’ve ever read, the way that this family both perpetuates and survived sexual, emotional, and physical abuse is heartbreaking. All the CW on this one, a love for the characters kept me listening.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Sexual violence, Child death, and Physical abuse

voodoolobster's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Emotional abuse, Sexual harassment, Animal cruelty, Child death, Domestic abuse, Excrement, Incest, Racial slurs, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Pedophilia, Child abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Sexual violence, Self harm, and Rape

Moderate: Alcoholism, Abortion, Violence, Drug abuse, Bullying, Blood, Child abuse, Confinement, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Addiction, Toxic relationship, Dementia, and Self harm

cleches's review against another edition

emotional sad tense 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

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Rape, and Suicide

brunonadamas's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Alcohol, Death, Abandonment, Addiction, Domestic abuse, Body horror, Animal death, Blood, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Death of parent, and Animal cruelty

serendipitysbooks's review

challenging dark emotional sad 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

 
Perish is a debut novel that really packs a punch and ripped my heart open. It opens with the Helen Jean, the family matriarch, on her death bed and family members gathering to say their goodbyes. But it immediately becomes clear that there are lots of complicated feelings, this isn’t a close united family, and Helen isn’t exactly beloved by all. The novel then unfolds in different time periods and from varying points of view, slowly revealing, layer by layer, the family history. And much of it is a dark history involving the legacy of abuse, inter-generational trauma and the cyclical nature of abuse. As such it is a difficult and confronting read. If child sexual abuse is a trigger this book may not be for you.

The writing was stellar. My heart broke for what the characters had borne, even as I wanted to rail against them for their own actions. I really appreciated the nuanced way the book explored the issue of children who are abused and then go on to abuse others. Another thing this book did so well was to highlight the harm done by silence and secrets and pretending not to see, harm done to both the victims and perpetrators of abuse. The fact that this story ended with openness and honesty, with talking and sharing, gave it an element of hope for me, a very welcome glimmer given the tough and confronting subject matter. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Child abuse, and Child death

Moderate: Miscarriage and Animal death

kaitsteak's review

dark emotional slow-paced

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

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Animal cruelty, Rape, Child abuse, Animal death, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Child death and Drug abuse

Minor: Addiction and Animal cruelty