nhewitt99's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I was amazed by how many themes Roy could probe through the lens of one family, including love, modernity, history, classism, sexism, colonialism, trauma, and self determinism. Each topic is given respect and nuance via the myriad perspectives offered by the large cast of characters.
The rhetoric is beautiful and makes great use of extended metaphor and symbolism. It's also ripe with the phrase-as-adjective speech that I'm a sucker for, like deep-seaweed-feeling.
Graphic: Child death, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Classism, Police brutality, and Colonisation
averyssliceofreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Violence, Racism, and Sexual assault
sairywhy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Sexual assault, Child abuse, and Domestic abuse
rosibook's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Murder, Hate crime, Racism, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Abandonment, Colonisation, Death, Grief, Violence, and Vomit
Moderate: Incest
charisbe's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Racism, Child abuse, Sexual content, and Sexual assault
lonelycitrus's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Racism, Police brutality, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
theraindiary's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, and Death
Moderate: Misogyny and Sexual assault
ctmy04's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexism, and Pedophilia
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Incest, Death, and Infidelity
jeslis's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
- Extraordinarily clever writing, absolutely top notch of the books I've ever read before. Returning to previous sentences and motifs in a new context to add layers of meaning was mind-blowing to read.
- Quite slow paced, I felt like every time I read 20 pages I lived about 500 lifetimes. And yet the effect definitely matched the book really well, I just prefer faster paced books to read in general.
- Overall just extremely clever and emotive — speaks volumes to the writing talent.
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, and Pedophilia
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Incest
r0ry_'s review against another edition
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Incest porn is not my thing tbh.
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Child death, and Grief
Moderate: Alcoholism, Incest, Emotional abuse, and Police brutality