Reviews tagging 'Police brutality'

The Sympathiser by Viet Thanh Nguyen

19 reviews

caseythereader's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Cursing, Death, Fatphobia, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail

kellylover86's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

4.5

This book was engaging. A look at the Vietnam War from the perspective of a Vietnamese soldier, a double agent working for the communists and informing on the South Vietnamese soldiers. Lots happened in this book, and it was interestingly written.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

eher1305's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Murder, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail

crystaljohnsonb's review against another edition

challenging dark funny reflective tense

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Murder, and War

Minor: Suicidal thoughts

veronicats's review against another edition

dark tense slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail

merle98's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark informative 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? It's complicated

4.5

Great book but I am detracting 0.5 stars for the fact that every single female character in the book is either a food-providing wife/mother, a love interest or sexual partner or being brutally raped/tortured/killed off to advance the male protagonist's plotline (or a mix thereof).  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail

alexhaydon's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Gore, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry, and War

fluoresensitive's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense slow-paced

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

3.0

Tw; rape, so ... So many unsettling things
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Beautifully written, but shockingly anti-Black at times. Not to mention the two rapes that take place, oof.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Death, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Suicide attempt, and Murder

emgulph's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-paced

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

4.5

Don't get me wrong, I loved this book. It was a stunning visual into the intricacies of the Vietnam war, with a refreshing focus on the crimes of all the powers involved, not taking sides. The refuges and victims of the Vietnam War are allowed to be both angry with their so-called American saviors and with their home country in disrepair.

That being said, much of the content in this work is shocking and not for the faint of heart. It's a book about war. Fresh out of finishing this, I'm sure there are content warnings I forgot to list below. There were many moments where I needed to pause and catch my breath.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Gun violence, Rape, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, and Murder

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Mental illness, and Xenophobia

Minor: Homophobia and Sexual content