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hannah_cogo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Blood, Police brutality, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
kibiiiariii's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Homophobia, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
miaaa_lenaaa's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
ireeeeeene's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Murder, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Incest, Vomit, and Death of parent
devorahthebee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment
moosash's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
- loved the pacing of this, first and foremost. it shifts to anecdotes from the past and present; the weight of these juxtapositions (among many others) or contexts will get heavier as the story and their milieu unravels.
- let me also just mention the metaphors... THE METAPHORS... personally, this book holds some of the most visceral images that it's crazy how it attempts to translate familiar, abstract feelings and thoughts into concrete Small Things we can hold in our palms. the abstract seemingly materialize as flesh-and-blood characters/apparitions in the book that hold physical weight, and loom with effect and purpose over the ayemenem household, and in the other spaces they occupy.
- the characters (in this case, the family members) were also relatable in a way, or at least represent a part of the human psyche or family dynamic that we most likely possess/are familiar with, but often sweep under the rug.
Ammu, their mother, described as possessing "the infinite tenderness of motherhood and the reckless rage of a suicide bomber"; the Unspoken Love Laws that lay down "who should be loved and how. And how much" + the pain and pleasure that comes with that rebellion; the heavy feeling of doom that lingers in the air after a young child unknowingly sprinkles salt in the wound of an adult, the feeling of being "loved a little less"; the small envy towards a cousin/family member that seems to be "Loved From The Very Beginning"
Graphic: Child death
Moderate: Physical abuse, Grief, and Sexual harassment
jordan21's review against another edition
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, and Sexual harassment
warboyziri's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
Graphic: Violence, Police brutality, Sexual harassment, and Classism
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Abandonment
sir_ren's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
the novel has a rather simple story- the main plot. even though I could predict the general plot of the story (as the novel is written switching from the past and the present) it was still engaging and interesting thanks to the writing and the details. the construction of the novel- the unfolding of events and use of language make it satisfying and rewarding to see it all come together.
the "Kid Speak" used in the novel tends to be polarizing as far as I can tell. some people put the book down to never complete it due to the language. not that I am in a place to be telling anyone what to do with their time, but I would still seriously encourage readers to stick it out even if they are mildly irritated by the peculiarities. my experience is that I found it puzzling at first and then interesting, but the novelty wore off soon and it started to feel badly used. but this changed as I kept reading, the way Arundhati Roy built her novel and used language- the payoff was Real for me. the "quirkiness" of the language turned into a blessing as the novel went on. Intimacy is what I experienced again. in a novel all about this family- to speak their secret language and to have a few odd words and phrases evoke all the emotions and thoughts that they did was a moment of intimacy with the novel and its characters.
another point of contention tends to be the "villain", who some find to be a cartoonishly evil/bad person. in my opinion, the character was believable.
now for the parts I did not enjoy. the book describes or mentions a lot of the uglier sides of human nature/bodies/actions. I felt the number of instances was a little excessive. maybe one or two could have been cut and the book could still retain its integrity.
and I felt the Kid Speak could have been cut in a few places. but I am glad the language was what it was
Graphic: Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Violence, Vomit, Police brutality, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Incest, Blood, Excrement, Grief, and Abandonment
Minor: Alcoholism
rcsreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
No-one has ever made sex or food sound so disgusting. Also, none of the gross sex descriptions are actually necessary to the story.
I mainly kept going because the narrator on the audio book had such a calming voice.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail