Reviews tagging 'Racism'

And Then She Fell by Alicia Elliott

13 reviews

gabybenitez's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful informative reflective sad tense slow-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

This book is stunning! Such an incredible depiction of mental illness, postpartum depression, anti-Indigenous racism, motherhood, and it weaves in Mohawk creation stories/worldview/storytelling and understanding of time as non-linear in a way that is ambitious, groundbreaking, and turns the thriller and concept of unreliable narrator on its head! Impeccable critique of white supremacy culture of isolationism and individualism as well. Just gorgeous — I was crying by the unexpected end! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Genocide, Racism, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Genocide

pomoevareads's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.0

And Then She Fell by Mohawk author Alicia Elliott is both simple and complex in its structure. It begins with a Mohawk woman (Alice) marrying a white man who studies indigenous culture, moves off the rez to a posh Toronto neighbourhood and has a baby. Alice struggles to connect to her daughter and descends into a psychosis where she believes others are out to take her daughter away from her. Then the story changes to one that takes place inside the time space web where each string is a different path and has a different outcome. The story becomes more difficult here as the characters mingle within the multiverse. Alice is guided to complete writing the Haudenosaunee Creation story which will affect future generations. Although future is also now, complex as you might see. 

For personal reasons, this book took me almost a week to finish reading and likely because of this I dropped parts of the thread now and then. Elliott writes in her acknowledgements that she has her own personal story of being disconnected. I felt the urge of the character of Alice within the prose as she battled against herself. 

I enjoyed reading the author’s matrilineal characters’ stories and how each woman was supported by the others. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Racism, Addiction, and Alcohol

drownedinfictionx's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

5.0

L

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, and Cannibalism

Moderate: Police brutality, Racism, Alcohol, Medical content, Addiction, Grief, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Body horror, Child death, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Gore, Dysphoria, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Colonisation, Classism, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Blood, and Suicidal thoughts

natalietan's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Addiction, Racism, Colonisation, Grief, Gaslighting, Suicide attempt, Alcoholism, Body horror, and Death

Moderate: Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Vomit

brit_is_reading's review

tense slow-paced

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

2.0

To be totally honest, I nearly DNF'd this more than once in the time it took me to read. But once I hit about 64%, I decided to see it all the way through.

 While I was interested in the themes that Alicia Elliott was exploring in the first half of the book, I found the back half to fully descend into madness (which, I understand, is part of the plot), but was largely difficult to follow and understand.

I don't think I'm unable to explore dense material, but it just came across like there were so many interesting ideas here, and just one or two couldn't be decided upon - so it had to be all of them.

The end in particular, while I found it to be sweet as an idea, felt wholly out of place in comparison to the rest of the novel.

If I had to do it all over again, I’d probably skip this one. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Gaslighting, Suicidal thoughts, Drug use, Suicide attempt, Grief, Addiction, Alcohol, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Racism

Moderate: Racial slurs, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, and Colonisation

Minor: Blood, Pregnancy, Infidelity, Forced institutionalization, and Cannibalism

evawondergem's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad fast-paced

• 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent, Colonisation, Suicide attempt, Racial slurs, Addiction, Suicidal thoughts, Gaslighting, Racism, and Mental illness

careinthelibrary's review against another edition

dark sad tense medium-paced

2.5

This follow-up to Alicia Elliott's memoir A Mind Spread Out on the Ground covers a lot of the same topics as her debut, but confronts those realities in challenging and surprising ways. 

I struggled with how slow the first half was. It was slowly building to something, but I was impatient to get into the horrific and the shocking. It deals with some heavy topics like post-partum mental health, Indigenous motherhood being intensely scrutinized, MMIWG2S, and academia's fascination and appropriation of Indigenous knowledge and stories.

The second half really takes off and I was both *here for it* and also very confused. It is full of twists and turns and definitely held my attention as its pacing sped up. Those topics that were introduced in the first half fall to the wayside a bit in exchange for gory body horror.

The book jumps from domestic fiction with a graphic, horror twist to a confusing sci-fi conclusion. I wish it had kept its horror genre throughout and maintained its clear message because I felt the last 10% fizzled out. I'm not quite sure where it leaves the protagonist and her family.

I can feel the influence of Cherie Dimaline in And Then She Fell's dark, urban fantasy vibes and fans of her work will want to check this out.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Body horror, Cultural appropriation, Pregnancy, Blood, Drug abuse, Racism, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Mental illness, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Alcoholism, Child death, Child abuse, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence

Minor: Sexual harassment, Racial slurs, Emotional abuse, and Eating disorder

paperbackportals's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.5

And Then She Fell is part psychological thriller, part sci-fi, and part scathing critique of colonialism. It’s got all the spooky vibes and deals with difficult and serious topics such as postpartum psychosis, mental health, the importance of community, racism, and generational trauma. 

This might sound like a lot, but Alicia Elliott has delved into these topics with slight of hand that takes the reader on a mind-bending adventure that intrigues and frightens while also educating you. 

I’m so captivated by her twisting and circular narrative and know that I will need to revisit this book again. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Mental illness, Racism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Gaslighting

Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Racial slurs, and Violence

Minor: Vomit

theoceanrose's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Mental illness and Racism

Minor: Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, and Death

bookishcori's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Racism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Colonisation