Reviews with content warning for Domestic abuse - The Bread the Devil Knead

Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

The Bread the Devil Knead by Lisa Allen-Agostini

196 reviews

bookishevy's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

"If the two of all you don’t stop all you nastiness, you go eat the bread the devil knead."

In Trinidad & Tobago, when we say someone will "eat de bread de devil knead" it means they'll experience hard times.

Alethea Lopez has been eating it all of her life. She's the almost 40-year-old, bookish manager of a boutique in Port-of-Spain, and every she covers up bruises from her abusive common-law husband, Joe, and seeks comfort in an affair with her boss, Bobby. Alethea believes Joe will stop beating her one day, but after witnessing the murder of woman at the hands of a jealous lover, she wonders if that will be her future.

Told in Trini English, this is an engrossing read that includes flashbacks showing how tough Alethea had it as a child and exploring the poverty and generational trauma that shaped her and the colorism that gave her opportunities she wouldn't have if she didnt look white. All Alethea knew was "licks" growing up. Now, she's in a hopeless situation with Joe. No friends or family, isolated by design. When two people from her past resurface, so do Alethea's repressed memories of physical, verbal and sexual abuse.

I love how candid Alethea is about her attraction to toxic men and love of sex. Joe has her completely dickmatized. Even though I understood why she normalizes maltreatment and doesn't feel like she has other options than putting up with Joe, despite being presented with new opportunities, it was still frustrating to experience how she acquiesces to his demands. It's like she just accepts her fate. I rooted for her to be the heroine of her story.

What a page-turner. One of the people from Alethea's past comes bearing news that rocks her world. That twist was a gut punch of a revelation that sends her reeling and left me wondering how much more trauma can this woman take? Alethea's turmoil is contrasted with the excitement of the start of the Carnival season that brings with it a new beginning.

I recommend.

Content Warnings

kit_kate's review

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dark emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Content Warnings

booksafternoon's review

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

4.0

What's striking about The Bread the Devil Knead it's the meaning behind it. It's the types of story we don't want to read about because we don't like to be reminded these situations really do happen. And that's why it's so important to read this.

I took a while to finish it. The themes it explores are heavy and I recommend you looking into the trigger warnings. A portion of this book is written in Trinidad creole and that took me some time to adjust (my mother tongue is not English and I was reading this book in English which probably didn't help) but it's completely worth it, it gives you a different perspective into the novel, one that makes characters like Alethea feel just too real.

Alethea is a character that intrigues me. She feels real, she could be real and she probably is. Women like Alethea have certainly existed and continue to do so. In the story we dive into Alethea's past and we get a glimpse into her dark childhood, we get to understand the psychology behind everything, we get to witness the trauma but we also get to witness the turning point.

This is the type of book I look forward to see in prize lists. I'm very happy that it made it to the Shortlist of the Women's Prize for Fiction 2022.

Sometimes we read books that are hard to recommend. This is one of those books.
I will reinforce it once more, please check the TW if you feel like you usually need.

Content Warnings

perusing's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny inspiring 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

3.5

Content Warnings

elizabgr's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Content Warnings

grp101's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring 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

4.0

I really liked it! The Trinidadian narration was interesting and I didn’t personally find it difficult to understand. The story was overall good but sometimes I just wasn’t motivated to pick it up.

Content Warnings