Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

Black Water Sister by Zen Cho

11 reviews

honuzbubbles's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Abandonment, Lesbophobia, Cancer, Grief, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, and Sexism

theanxiousbookworm's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Homophobia, Sexual violence, Sexism, and Violence

gigireadswithkiki's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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? Yes

4.0

"Black Water Sister" has made me realize how woefully ignorant I am of Malaysia and the Malaysian diaspora!!! I loved all the content about Malaysia from the folklore to the customs to the cuisine, expanding my knowledge of the vibrancy of the country. Jess and her grandmother Ah Ma were super interesting characters to follow along with, and I enjoyed Ah Ma's constant commentary, which reminded me so vividly of my own grandmother. The messages on intergenerational trauma were done masterfully, evoking feelings of teary-eyed healing and self-righteous justice. 

My only gripe is how the conclusion of the gentrification in the story felt way-laid in favor of the family dynamics, even though gentrification plays a very large part in the overall story, to the point where it felt the conclusion was, "gentrification is bad but some gentrification is okay to prevent even bigger gentrification from happening". This facet of the ending didn't sit too well with me, but otherwise I enjoyed the book for it's lively characters and well-paced plot!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Xenophobia, Violence, and Blood

Moderate: Confinement, Lesbophobia, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Homophobia

Minor: Cancer and Rape

scifi_rat's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Violence, Murder, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Medical content, Rape, Physical abuse, Death, Sexism, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Body horror, Alcoholism, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Lesbophobia, Gore, Grief, and Sexual violence

Minor: Classism, Outing, Self harm, Torture, Racism, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Cancer, and Cursing

cookiecat73's review

dark emotional hopeful tense fast-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? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Outing, Religious bigotry, Domestic abuse, Blood, Death, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Cursing, Violence, Lesbophobia, and Murder

Moderate: Cancer, Medical content, Body horror, Confinement, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, and Stalking

Minor: Acephobia/Arophobia, Drug use, Gun violence, Abortion, and Self harm

lauraglovestoread's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious medium-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

4.0

"You can bargain with anybody, spirit or human.  All you need to know is what do they want and what are they scared of.  That's all."
Black Water Sister follows Jess, a young Malaysian-American woman who has just moved back to Malaysia with her parents.  Just when she's got enough mundane issues to worry about -- not being out to her parents, a long-distance relationship, the challenges of finding a good job post-graduation, the pressures exerted by her extended family -- the voice of her recently deceased grandmother turns up in her head and before long, Jess is (in the author's words) "[fighting] gods, ghosts, gangsters, and grandmas in 21st century Penang."  I appreciate so much about this book -- the rich descriptions of the setting, the comedic elements interspersed with more serious themes, and the development of Jess' character.  There is a strong feminist element to Black Water Sister -- it centers multiple generations of women, and addresses trauma, violence, loss, and family tensions and divisions with nuance.  This is the second of Zen Cho's books I've read, and my favourite thusfar.
<i>Content warnings:</i> sexual assault, sexual violence, sexism, misogyny, homophobia, racism, xenophobia, violence, murder, domestic violence, gore, grief, medical content

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Misogyny, Homophobia, Racism, Xenophobia, Violence, Murder, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Gore, Grief, and Medical content

malimaan's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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

4.25

This book was such a beautiful read.

The way it touched upon generational trauma and abuse and your relationship with your family. The ghosts and possession were a great medium to tell this story through and I loved reading about a culture that isn't as represented in modern media. 

It was amazing to read about how Jess finds her voice after years of trying to be perfect. The book explores her queer identity and her diasporan identity in such a great way.

The only thing I felt was a bit of a drawback, was that Jess' parents felt a bit flat, especially because they play a big part in her identity. They just felt like they were lacking something.

I really recommend reading this book! And I can't wait to read more by this author.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Domestic abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Sexism, Violence, Racism, and Sexual violence

Minor: Alcoholism

dreareads_'s review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring reflective slow-paced

4.5

Beautiful sapphic fantasy book about generational trauma and abuse. I loved the ghosts and possession story but what really drew me in was the relationship between the main character, and her family. This is a story about the expectations many poc parents put on their children, the weight that their legacy has on us, and the importance of finding our own voices. This is a SLOW PACED story, and thus requires patience. Also, this book was surprisingly funny at times. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Racism, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Violence, Emotional abuse, Blood, and Domestic abuse

lucystolethesky's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny mysterious tense 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Murder, Kidnapping, Death, Homophobia, and Lesbophobia

Moderate: Xenophobia, Racism, Outing, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Sexism, Rape, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Grief, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Terminal illness, Chronic illness, and Cancer

unfiltered_fiction's review

adventurous emotional funny mysterious 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? Yes

4.5

Black Water Sister is such an energetic, colourful, intelligent, playful, funny, and insightful take on coming of age as a millennial twenty-something. As a reader, I felt all of Jessamyn's struggles deeply - especially her complicated and exhausting but deeply loving relationship with her family, and the sheer battle of finding the time and energy to carve out a way forwards in this world.

The story is infused with exquisite details of the layered, hybrid culture that Jess inhabits, from Malay food to Hokkien etymology. Zen Cho's writing is considered and nuanced, picking out the good, the bad, and the ugly in every situation and every relationship that Jess experiences. The racism she faces in America and the homophobia she skirts around in Malaysia are both depicted in profoundly simple and emotionally rich prose. This story is rich in intersectional feminism, thoroughly conscious of how different struggles work together to shape us in ways that we don't always like.

The humour in this book is absolutely excellent, punctuating the heavy themes with biting, acerbic wit that only adds nuance to the more difficult material. I particularly loved how Jess interacted with her mother and Ah Ma - I could map some of these conversations directly over chats I've had with my own mother and grandmother! All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable read that I'd definitely recommend.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Sexism

Moderate: Sexual assault, Homophobia, and Racism

Minor: Rape