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tyras_bookshelf's review against another edition
This book is obviously very dark and traumatizing as it deals with real life trauma, even if it’s fictionalized. It was really hard to read due to the explicit horror of what happened to these girls. I picked it up to try something new and learn about something I have little knowledge on but I just couldn’t stomach it.
Perhaps it was even a little gratuitous in the author’s description since she (seemingly) has no connection to the real people this happened to. Im making some assumptions without research so there’s that but I found it interesting and potentially problematic that this Irish author is writing Nigerian fictional stories. Race shouldn’t limit what stories you tell but something about it sets me on edge just a bit. Idk, it’s complicated.
And according to some other reviews, O’Brien traveled to Nigeria to interview women and girls victimized by Boca Haram and so there is critique about why she didn’t just do an autobiography or something more factual and I think that’s what I’m getting at to. For this to have been a reality of some many girls, it felt so much like O’Brien was hamming it up to give us this gorey, fantastical story—she could have just given us the unfiltered truth. Or maybe I’m missing the point—it was a gorey and unbelievable thing that occurred but something about this book was just off for me.
Anyway, maybe I’ll try again with this one but also most likely not.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Gore, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Pregnancy, and War
panicked_llama's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Islamophobia, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and War