Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

Landscapes by Christine Lai

7 reviews

alexanedesbiens's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad slow-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Rape, Sexual assault, and Death of parent

laran_s's review against another edition

dark sad slow-paced

1.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Sexual assault

helloitsemmy's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

jelliestars's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Excrement, Vomit, Stalking, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, Classism, and Deportation

sarahsss's review against another edition

dark hopeful mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault

amvs1111's review against another edition

dark reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

2.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

knkoch's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes

4.5

I quite enjoyed this. I found it really effective in the themes it investigated. Penelope's narrative was beautiful, painful, tender, and self-aware, owing to its transmission through a journal narrative. I love reading fiction in this form, as characters writing journals or letters. Penelope's grappling, even battling, with her past, as well as an ecologically uncertain future, was moving to read. The third-person glimpses of Julian's narrative were equally fascinating, though for distinctly different reasons. I was impressed with the author's willingness to examine him without heavy or implied judgement. Truly, the examination itself demonstrated volumes about his character, and perhaps volumes about the sorts of people who live the way he does and have done what he has.

The emptiness of his mind and presence, the lack of self-awareness or introspection, due perhaps to fears about drowning in recrimination or loathing, made so much sense to me. For some people, there really is no "there there" when it comes to the self or self-understanding, because to truly understand themselves (the way we want them to, as the reader or outside observer), they would be overwhelmed by such raw exposure. It's why we have defenses and rationalization. His limited mind is contrasted so sharply with Penelope's analytical ability.

Another gem from Two Dollar Radio!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault

Sexual Assault/rape:

One of the main characters has experienced a sexual assault in the past. The assault is not recounted in detail, but alluded to frequently, and the character experiences severe distress as she grapples with the trauma of the event, both in recounting her immediate response afterwards and in the event's resurfacing in the present narrative.