Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon

59 reviews

quabbityash's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Domestic abuse, and Torture

Minor: Child abuse, Death, Racism, and Blood

osden's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

Genuinely beautiful, complicated, truthful in the way fiction can be. The kind of book where you want to linger in the world and how reading it felt even after it ends 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Self harm, Police brutality, and Death of parent

Difficult topics but addressed in a way that is realistic, never gratuitous, and that overcomes.

the_true_monroe's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I absolutely did not predict where this book was going. While I was very confused initially about what was real and not real, that confusion I had actually made a lot of sense as the book went on. While historical dates are noted, the present year is never stated. The timelessness this creates is haunting given major themes in the book surround the injustices and horrors faced by marginalized communities that never cease to end (racism, homophobia, genocide), since the driving forces are never held accountable regardless of how many times they are exposed.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Homophobia, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Murder, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism, Racial slurs, Rape, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Police brutality, Grief, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Colonisation, and Classism

Minor: Alcoholism, Infertility, and Terminal illness

rainbowbrarian's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Mass/school shootings, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, and Classism

victorsbookshelf's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Racism, Rape, Sexual content, and Pregnancy

cleot's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Racism, Self harm, Sexual content, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Stalking, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, and Suicide

human experimentation and parasitism are central themes

calamitydane's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring 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? It's complicated

5.0

This book was fascinating start to finish. The themes, the voice, the settings, the characters were all engrossing and captivating. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, and Injury/Injury detail

transgender

,

intersex

,

lesbian

whimsylee's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

4.75

An incredible and nuanced look at institutional racism, white supremacy, difference/othering,  and being a queer black mother in the USA. Rivers Solomon is an amazing writer. The sci-fi elements of this story perfectly complement the themes and the author’s overall message. I fell in love with so many of these deeply human characters and my heart was ripped out over and over again. I highly recommend this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexual content, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Stalking, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Classism

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Terminal illness, Mass/school shootings, Lesbophobia, and Colonisation

buhdumbitch's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Blood, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

ehmannky's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective slow-paced

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

5.0

A beautiful book that meditates on the concepts of intergenerational trauma, systemic violence, the horrors of repeating abusive cycles and the pain of breaking away from them, and the healing power of queerness when it is allowed to thrive. Vern is spectacularly brutal and loving character, bringing to mind characters found in Octavia Butler's Parable duology. I loved the use of the supernatural to ponder violence, especially as it pertains to the United States and the government and how there's not really a place within the confines of this land that is free from this violence so long as you're in contact with other humans.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, and Lesbophobia

Moderate: Homophobia, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, and Suicide