Reviews tagging 'Suicide'

The Postcard by Anne Berest

16 reviews

alexacath's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-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

5.0

An extremely powerful and moving novel. A novel I will come back to year after year. Amidst the rising antisemitism and Gaza crisis this
narrative provides a stark reminder of what (can) happen(s) when individuals sit idly by and allow fear to control their lives. The characters  crafted in this novel will leave an imprint on each reader and force individuals to confront feelings of love, loss, despair, hope, anger, and uncomfortability. A powerful exploration of history and familial healing. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Genocide, Sexual assault, Antisemitism, and Murder

Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Death of parent, Murder, and War

lexcellent's review against another edition

dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Hate crime, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Dementia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, War, and Deportation

amburns118's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Antisemitism, Grief, and Deportation

Moderate: Addiction, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, and Dementia

jesstaurant's review against another edition

emotional informative mysterious reflective sad slow-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Genocide, Suicide, Antisemitism, Dementia, Grief, and War

kerri_m's review against another edition

5.0

I've read many books about the catastrophe, and this is one of the best.

It's a story about identity, survival, memory, responsibility, hope. It's about telling their story. It's about not looking away (even when the telling makes you shake and feel sick). 

While many of the details may have been imagined and the research process likely went in a slightly different order, it's miraculous that the Rabinoviches got as much information as they did. We will never hear countless stories of other lives that were stolen.

Reading it now, in 2024, feels like a call to action.

Indifference is universal. Who are you indifferent toward today, right now? Ask yourself that. Which victims living in tents, or under overpasses, or in camps way outside the cities are your ‘invisible ones’? The Vichy regime set out to remove the Jews from French society. And they succeeded.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Violence, Antisemitism, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Deportation

Moderate: Addiction, Body horror, Drug abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Suicide, Grief, and Abandonment

knit_the_resistance's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.75

The Postcard is an extremely difficult book to read, as are most books about the Holocaust. It's dark, and sad. But it's also a complex family history, and a mystery. I enjoyed it, and I was upset by it. I recommend it as an analog book rather than a digital copy so you can go back and forth and check on who different characters are. 
Also, there are sections you shouldn't read before bedtime.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Rape, Suicide, Antisemitism, Dementia, Grief, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation

jsprenk's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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

5.0

A beautifully written story of a woman and her mother’s quest to learn about their family, four of whom died in the holocaust … with a modern-day mystery story underneath it all. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Torture, Violence, and Antisemitism

Moderate: Drug abuse and Drug use

Minor: Suicide

leslie_overbookedsocialworker's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective sad 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, and Antisemitism

Moderate: Genocide, Hate crime, Racism, Sexual violence, Suicide, Police brutality, Grief, Religious bigotry, War, and Deportation

kristinj1's review

challenging dark emotional informative reflective relaxing sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

Wow this was a good book! It was interesting to read this with the real world backdrop of the war happening in Gaza and Israel. I have an even deeper understanding of what Jewish people have experienced, what it was like in places like Paris before deportation began, how they believed that if they followed the rules they'd be okay. I see now why, at the end of the book, she says why they don't obey orders. Oh, and the reintroduction of "returnees" to France! I hadn't read about any of that before. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Death, Drug use, Genocide, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual content, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Antisemitism, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Deportation

lizclark81's review

challenging emotional medium-paced

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

5.0

Absolutely beautifully written story, moving and emotional. Absolutely devoured this one it was just so fascnnating.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Antisemitism, and War

Minor: Suicide