Reviews tagging 'Racial slurs'

Demain, et demain, et demain by Gabrielle Zevin

147 reviews

marloesisalive's review against another edition

emotional sad 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

4.5

I found the story very unique even if I have zero interest in coding. I do like to game occasionally though, but I think that this book is especially fun to read for gamers and game developers. It was a heartbreaking read.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Suicide, and Murder

Moderate: Vomit and Death of parent

Minor: Racial slurs, Racism, and Pregnancy

bestturnip's review against another edition

hopeful sad 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? Yes

3.0

Chose this as it was a mega bestseller in 2023 but it fell a bit flat for me.  Spoiler warning:

The constant switch up in writing perspectives and styles

like cutting to a page of game reviews or an interview in the future with Sadie / Sam

was an interesting choice but once or twice I felt it detracted from the story. 

Marx and his chapters hit home the most for me - despite making him the obvious "likeable" character while Sadie and Sam's flaws were obviously meant to be a main focus. 

Some of the word choices in the prose (not only character dialogue) felt a bit over the top and like the author wanted to remind you how smart, not only the characters, but she was.

I absolutely hated

the choice to have Sadie remain in contact with Dov after her experiences. Even if it is realistic, there wasn't enough emphasis for me on WHY Sadie made that choice other than 'she still looked up to him'

The passages from Marx's POV

with both the Macbeth and Strawberry Thief references were my favourite part and I honestly struggle to understand why his focus was as more of an NPC? If it was meant to be a big reference to how Sadie and Sam treated him, it was a bit flat.

Overall there were some really emotional and resonant scenes, and the references to theatre, art, and games were typically well thought out and had a place in the story. I wish that this book had a better idea of exactly what it was about, so our throughlines didn't get so muddled.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Grief, Medical trauma, and Death of parent

Moderate: Cancer, Homophobia, Racism, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Medical trauma

Minor: Racial slurs, Sexism, Terminal illness, Violence, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

chloel29's review against another edition

adventurous emotional sad 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? Yes

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

kjlewis494's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Death, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Grief

Moderate: Chronic illness, Gun violence, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Blood, Medical trauma, Car accident, Abortion, and Pregnancy

Minor: Cancer, Homophobia, Vomit, and Abortion

jaduhluhdabooks's review against another edition

challenging sad tense 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? Yes

5.0

I mean, how can you create such a vivid and heartbreaking timeline of lives strung together by “happenstance” and call it anything other than what it is… a masterpiece of both wills and defiances, of an inability to deny oneself of suffering. 

I recently read (in a book that I hilariously rated 1 star) a quote on suffering that basically read in summary, just because one is accustom to suffering doesn’t mean they always have to. And at first I thought this was stupid, because no person would choose suffering and the choice is not in the hands of those who encounter it. But that’s not always true, nor is it always truthful…. What I mean by that and what I found with these characters doing often is fixating on (unresolved and unheard) wounds of tragedy and self articulation. These moments that happened to them, defined parts of themselves that inevitably drove their relationships and their focal points in life. Obviously, that’s not profound because that’s relatively the human existence, but what I think Gabrielle does so well is even the playing field of fiction and humanity. Fiction is on this higher plane of “semi relational” and “this only happens in a book”. This novel is almost to on the nose with the existence of life lived in relationship with pain and grief. Even Marx, who I would argue was the first one to not choose suffering in the end, and it set him free, very much shows this narrative of altruism and decay. It’s an excellent contrast throughout the book and I just can’t wrap my head around it entirely yet, but it’s sitting with me. 

I know that’s morbid, buts it’s true. Sadie and Sam are this feedback loop of pain and neither one are willing to disrupt the cycle to seek out a potential, otherworldly circumstance of good, that maybe, just maybe, would result in…more good. I think Sadie tries, but the reality is that a loop can only break if it severs all ties with the end that it’s contributing shape to, and in the end, Sadie is just as unable to let go of the things and reminders just as much as Sam.  But isn’t that the cycle trauma and the reality of life lived in relationship with pain? We greet grief and loss as a friend, and the choice of joy and happiness is fickle and ludicrous and downright stupid without considering the stipulations that drive the efforts of creating such a reality. A figment. A virtual. A game. And that’s where they seemed to go to create such understandings in themselves and of the world.


I’m rambling. Basically. It’s hauntingly beautiful. A codependent masterpiece of broken people, in a savage world, seeking their next escape in each other, even if they’re estranged. Their actions are driven by the potential connection with the other and it maddeningly hits so close to home. 

I could talk about so much more. The representation of chronic pain and life lived disabled and how well that represented and depicted. The translations of grief and toxic relationships. the nuance of race and racism, misogyny both external and internal, and the search for belonging through two different decades of American histories. The beauty of gaming and the creativity of the story. I could. But I’ve said too much already. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Racial slurs, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Abortion

rnbhargava's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

This book is great. It’s not like Ready Player One. It’s kind of like The Social Network but with mildly more sympathetic characters at its core. It’s ultimately about the work/life balance of three friends that start a video game company together told through the eyes of 2 out of the 3 of them. It also might be peak late Gen-X/Early Millennial nostalgia in terms of the video games referenced and it essentially inserts itself into how things actually happened in reality. Please note the sexism, misogyny and racist tendencies the characters Sam, Marx and their family members came across is realistically depicted. There’s also an active shooter situation depicted in the novel so be aware if it triggers you. One character also engages in an inappropriate relationship with a person with authority over them and mind if it triggers you. One character has a mobility disability and there’s vivid depictions of his struggles with medical care and health. There is suicide and car accidents depicted as well.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Biphobia, Body horror, Bullying, Cancer, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Islamophobia, Medical content, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Triggers are either actively in there or suggested somewhere throughout the book. I honestly might have missed some but I really enjoyed this book and its depiction of the years shown and how Zevin’s characters lived through those times.

aseppa's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective 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

5.0

Even the acknowledgements made me cry 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicide, Blood, Antisemitism, Medical content, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Car accident, Abortion, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

intrepid_bibliophile's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad 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? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Homophobia, Suicide, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Car accident, and Death of parent

Moderate: Ableism, Cancer, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Medical content, Abortion, Cultural appropriation, Sexual harassment, and Classism

saskiahill's review against another edition

5.0

Clever, moving, engaging - read the whole thing in a few days ❤️

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism, Animal death, Cancer, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Antisemitism, Medical content, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Car accident, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

More detailed trigger warning:

there's a pretty detailed active shooter scene, and a detailed suicide by jumping. They're not gratuitous, but rough to read

ellieworm's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad 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

A heart-wrenching coming of ager which prompts you to think about love and loss and what they look and feel like throughout your life. I tend to stay away from stories that use video games as a plot device or driver because they often feel ingenuine but Zevin’s sincere love for games comes through on every page, in turn making her characters’ own passion so innately believable and real. The pacing and power dwindled for me at points, but others (the

coma sequence and Pioneers story

in particular) felt pretty special in their storytelling to me. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Suicide, and Car accident

Moderate: Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, and Antisemitism