Reviews tagging Death

Split Tooth, by Tanya Tagaq

23 reviews

emory's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad

• 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

My most succinct reason for disliking this is just that it's not for me. I very much enjoyed the surrealism of the plot, but so much of the book was overshadowed by sections upon sections of what seemed to me to be trite quips trying very hard to be profound and quotable through vague generality. The sections and poems with genuine heart shone through besides, but I couldn't get past the writing, and although a goal of this book seems to be challenging notions of what is natural and sitting with that discomfort, I personally could not get past the recurring upsetting sexual imagery and motifs.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual violence, Child death, Death, Drug use, Grief, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Animal death, Bullying, Colonisation, Drug abuse, and Suicide

Minor: Vomit

A few depictions and mentions of, albeit in dreams and myth, bestiality.

nagev's review

challenging dark tense slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Rape, Pregnancy, Death of parent, Death, Pedophilia, Violence, Animal death, and Child abuse

Moderate: Abandonment, Addiction, Self harm, and Murder

Minor: Chronic illness and Terminal illness

kassiopeija's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Addiction

kleine_elster_'s review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad medium-paced

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death, Sexual content, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Drug use and Suicide attempt

mapscitiesandsongs's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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

2.75

I don't really know how to rate this, since I have the feeling that I didn't even understand half of the book. The prose was certainly interesting and beautiful. I am a bit sad that I couldn't get the audiobook. Maybe I would have enjoyed it more. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Rape, Sexual harassment, Alcoholism, Death, Drug use, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Addiction, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Animal death, and Sexual content

Moderate: Colonisation, Misogyny, and Sexism

Minor: Blood and Grief

kay_raichu's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

It's an amazing novel that manages to incorporate prose organically. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Bullying, Cancer, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Alcohol, Animal death, Death, Incest, and Suicide

dianahincureads's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

Split Tooth is an experience. Truly unlike anything I’ve read before. Following the perspective of a young Inuk woman growing up in Nunavut in the 1970s, the novel sketches the portrait of a community affected by colonialism and poverty. At only 11, the unnamed protagonist sees right through the adults around her. Her coming of age is saturated with spirituality, making up for any lack in the material world. To survive the violence she is subjected to daily, she strengthens the ties with her ancestors, holding on to her Inuit identity so tightly that reality blends seamlessly with the unseen. What is real? What is a dream?

Tanya Tagaq’s debut novel is subversive, both in content and form. It is a powerful counter-narrative denouncing the atrocities of colonialism and toxic masculinity. It mixes prose and poetry, autobiography and fiction, reality and myth.

The frozen landscape is an active character. Nature is unforgiving and harsh but aren't humans even harsher? Split Tooth proves just that.

I highly recommend this novel.

📖 « La forme des nuages ressemble à des avertissements codés en morse: l’été ne durera pas. La vie, c’est ça. Mange-la toute de suite. »

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug use, and Drug abuse

Moderate: Rape, Sexual violence, Death, and Sexual assault

Minor: Animal death, Domestic abuse, and Animal cruelty

annablume's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense slow-paced

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

4.5

It's fantastic, but it wasn't the most enjoyable read for me. it took me a long time to read this. Maybe it was the magical realism. Maybe the pace (which fits the work though)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Pregnancy, and Rape

Moderate: Pedophilia and Drug use

heatherdavies's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad slow-paced

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

2.5

I'm not sure I entirely "got" this book. Some parts were beautiful and descriptive. Others were dry and pretentious. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Drug use, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Self harm, Sexual assault, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Colonisation, Murder, and Violence

_suvi_'s review against another edition

dark emotional reflective fast-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? No

4.25

This made me uncomfortable at points, and I don’t know if in a good way or in a bad way. This was also magical, and I loved the last half of the book. I see there are similiarities in Finnish folklore and North American indigenous folklore

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, and Suicide