Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

Cold Nights of Childhood by Tezer Özlü

4 reviews

nornors's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Death, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Alcoholism, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Abortion, and Pregnancy

jdamae11's review against another edition

dark reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.5

It feels fitting to have read this one over the course of what has so far been the most gloomy weather day of the season. This was a very melancholic read, with bouts of joy sprinkled in, much like what it has at times felt like to live with depression. The author's ability to find hope & inspiration after years of suffering & exhaustion, institutionalization, and unrest really hit me in the gut & I found hope & beauty in this small book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

gellyreads's review against another edition

challenging fast-paced

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

2.0

I get why someone would enjoy this, and there were parts that were beautiful, but overall, I think this just isn't for me. I don't think I like surrealist art at all. I want to think about what it means, but I want to think about what it means on a deeper level, not what I just read on an actual page means. 

The reason I said N/A for so much of this is because it reads just like the ramblings of an insane person and I can't follow it. I re-read each page two or three times and I still wasn't sure of setting, or where were were or what happened. 

Also. She fucked her cousin?! Why are we all chill with that? And then did she or did she not get raped at the hospital?!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, and Forced institutionalization

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

m_sotos's review against another edition

dark reflective

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

4.25

I absolutely adored the prose in this book - Özlü was able to perfectly capture sense of place and conveys complex emotions/experiences in concise yet beautiful terms. This book explores incredibly dark themes and depicts terrible events with frankness. Yet, despite its dark content and persistent, overpowering atmosphere of melancholy (maybe specific to the Turkish context, huzun), I was left at the end of the book with a clear sense of the beauty of life, due to Özlü’s acute descriptions of richly layered places and a richly layered life. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Violence, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, and Suicide attempt