Reviews with content warning for Ableism - Almond

Reviews tagging 'Ableism'

stardustdreamer's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective 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? Yes

4.0

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book_voyager's review

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dark emotional sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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serenspace's review

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mysterious sad fast-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

3.75

Content Warnings

Deeply sighing at this read.
I picked this up because I thought it would be interesting to read a book with a neurodivergent protagonist. It turned out to be very similar to The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime in its overtly harmful nature.

Autism seems to = sociopath to a lot of people/writers and there is never actually any exploration into the character outside of how they are perceived by neurotypicals.
Everything was so superficial and when I realised where the ending was going I was even more disappointed. It was giving “autism can be cured with cognitive behavioural therapy.”

This book was far too wrapped in ableism; he is constantly taught that he needs to conform in order to be accepted instead of being who he truly is and the ending was a horrible way to support this message that it’s not ok to be who you are if who you are does not fit societal norms.

I would personally like to see much broader (own voices!) neurodivergent representation, and this book is not it.

Short chapters were a plus but that was about it for me.

(Includes an ableist slur and moderate/graphic violence)

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xmhao's review

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1.5

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irisolympe's review

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0.25

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emilyharmonica's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

The brilliance of this novel is how, despite the story being told through the lens of someone incapable of experiencing typical emotions, the overall effect is a highly emotional one. It’s unsettling and upsetting, yet strangely uplifting. Yunjae’s inner monologue is oddly charming as he tries to make sense of the world and of human nature without a frame of reference most people take for granted. What is “good” or “evil” without the fear most of us are born with, or without the moral compass our society instills into us? What is love, exactly, without the fear of losing the ones who are dearest to us?

I enjoyed the short “chapters” of this book, which made it quick to read through and enhanced the fragmented, almost stream-of-consciousness style of the narrative. Part of me felt like resolution of the story was way too convenient, and while I was expecting a slightly darker or more ambiguous ending, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t relieved that everyone got a happy ending, more or less.

Almond clocks in at under 300 pages, making it easy to breeze through in a day or two. This was such a unique little story, and I’m so glad I picked it up.

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