Reviews tagging 'Rape'

The Wife by Alafair Burke

3 reviews

fkshg8465's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious slow-paced

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

3.0

Nothing much to say about it. A strange tale with a couple twists and turns. Could’ve been more suspenseful. Interesting back story to fill in some of the blanks.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault and Kidnapping

Moderate: Rape

kshertz's review against another edition

challenging mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.5

It’s a story about a terrible old white guy who had everything but is not satisfied and is the worst of the worst. The women are not self confident and fight over this trash person. The women realize they need to leave the trash and grow. Some decide to become trash themselves. I don’t love how the women are written and wish they grew in a more authentic way. But I still couldn’t stop listening so I think it’s a good mystery. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Classism, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual violence, Body horror, Kidnapping, Sexual harassment, Violence, Death, and Murder

bnsfly's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.75

I enjoyed the book overall but I do think that the eventual revelation that the women were lying, while maybe necessary to keep the twists coming and reveal the _big_ twist (which was an interesting if not entirely unpredictable one), wasn't really twisty itself and is obviously problematic. I spent a lot of the book wondering if the author would reveal their politics, and while I don't think the twist is an endorsement, it builds up these women to a real extent, somewhat intelligently presents all the things people tell themselves so as not to believe the victim, while presenting them in a way that seems to indicate it's not a great thing… and then says "yep that's right they weren't a victim" and that sucked

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault