Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Behind You Is the Sea by Susan Muaddi Darraj

7 reviews

themoostconfused's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

• 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? Yes

5.0

i pre-ordered when i first hear about it and it took about 6 months to eventually end up in my hands. it was worth the wait in every single aspect of it.

i read the entire book within a single day and didn't want it to end. i loved the interwoven paths of the characters and how their lives are connected with each other even in ways they might not even realize themselves.

it touches on the experiences of being an immigrant/a child of immigrants and all the everyday struggles, racism and generational trauma that entails.

the fight for freedom for palestine is on-going and the colonial powers are still not being stopped on a big enough scale. from the river to the sea, palestine will be free.

after reading the lines...

"'you're our rock,' everyone told her, but that reputation did,'t feel like a compliment anymore. it felt like neglect"

...i had to take a quick break because that sums up so many experiences into one and made me feel seen in such a painful but freeing way.

this book is a work of art and i will treasure it forever.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Genocide, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, Dementia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Gun violence, Rape, Violence, Abortion, and War

Minor: Torture

kerriski's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring reflective fast-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? No

3.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Death, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Dementia, Death of parent, Colonisation, and War

Minor: Mental illness, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Pregnancy, and Classism

ukponge's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-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? No

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Dementia, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Colonisation

alexisgarcia's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

• 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? Yes

5.0

this was absolutely amazing, the interwoven narratives were so powerful and raw. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

florecita_lectora's review

challenging emotional reflective 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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Dementia

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexual content, Grief, and Death of parent

yourbookishbff's review against another edition

emotional sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

3.0

While I really appreciated the concept for this narrative - a loosely connected, multi-POV weaving of slice-of-life vignettes for Palestinians living in diaspora in Baltimore, Maryland - it ultimately felt like it never exceeded the sum of its parts. I'm actually confused after reading an interview with the author that suggests the Marcus POV was her starting point. Marcus's POV didn't feel nearly as compelling as several of the others, and it romanticized policing in a way that didn't make sense for the rest of the narrative and feels tonally confusing. The prose is compelling, and I love the focus on stand-alone scenes (there are several short stories in here that were truly beautiful). The author absolutely shows more than she tells here, and it made this feel fast-paced and immersive. Marcus's police POVs were jarring, though, and I'm not sure I fully understand the author's intention with this character and perspective. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Xenophobia, Dementia, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and War

Minor: Child death, Confinement, and Sexual violence

skye_era_books's review

challenging emotional hopeful informative sad fast-paced

• 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

4.25

With books that are just interconnected stories, I typically find myself not liking at least 1 or 2 of them. But I was completely immersed into this book. I wanted to know more about each of their lives. This audiobook could have been 30 hours long and I still would have loved it, though I think 6.5 hours was perfect. I loved learning more about their Palestinian-American lives

and even one being able to return home to Palestine after death.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Islamophobia, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Colonisation, and Classism