Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

Son of Sin by Omar Sakr

4 reviews

malignantmoon's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-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

5.0

Hard one to review because so much of this felt like a real story, like my story. I'm sure 30-something-year-old Australian millennials who grew up Muslim and queer (especially Lebanese and Turkish ones) will read this book and feel like they are looking into a mirror. I saw my cousins in Jamal's as the police continually hounded them. I saw the 'we all know but won't speak of it' sentiment of Turkish culture regarding sin. 

I saw the beauty too, of found family, of unbreakable familial bonds, of God and love, self-acceptance and love, of Sakr's origins as a poet feeling into the verse of this novel.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Homophobia, Racism, and Islamophobia

Moderate: Sexual assault and Police brutality

Minor: Alcoholism

kellyung's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Homophobia, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Islamophobia, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Classism

zzara's review

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

• 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? Yes

5.0

This book sucked my heart into it. It was written so beautifully that all the characters truly feel real in my head. I feel like Jamal is a friend I grew up with, and I want to give him a huge hug. Having finished the book I honestly feel a bit bereft that he isn't actually a person in my life. I usually find poetic prose slightly cringy but this was honestly perfect - it made me feel as though I was understanding everything through Jamal's mind, which made it even more engrossing. I don't think I would have enjoyed this book as much if I wasn't Australian, or if I hadn't spent time living in Sydney, but having that context and then such a deep insight into the protagonists' mind made this one an absolute winner for me.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug use and Mental illness

Minor: Alcoholism and Rape

grets_reads's review

challenging dark emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Police brutality, Islamophobia, and Abandonment

Minor: Incest and Mental illness