Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

Honor by Thrity Umrigar

25 reviews

nishaat's review against another edition

emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

It can be triggering for survivors of violence.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Violence, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Child abuse and Physical abuse

hannamlindsley's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, and Sexual assault

eelkin's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

about 80 pages into this book, i started to think i should probably quit it- smita, the protagonist, initially seems irritable, rude, and often unpleasant to be around, and the plot seemed intriguing but moved very slow. it’s when meena’s storyline is fully introduced that Honor comes into it’s own. after finishing it, i think it is one of the best love stories i have ever read, especially the parallelism between abdul/meena and smita and her love interest. i think so many topics are covered in this and so much discussion can come out of it. the balance of writing about love, religion, patriotism, the patriarchy, class differences, and india as the nuanced topics they deserve to be places thrity umrigar as a magnificent writer in my eyes. read this book!!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Violence, Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism

Moderate: Alcoholism and Sexual assault

Minor: Death of parent

jenhfultz's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative sad slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Vomit, Islamophobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

alexxis88's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Islamophobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

avajane02's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad 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? Yes

4.5

An absolutely heartbreaking look into the class and gender divides in India from the perspective of a

Muslim

Indian-American reporter who returns to India to cover a story in place of her white American friend/coworker, who is recovering from surgery. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Hate crime, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Islamophobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Police brutality

muse692's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny and Islamophobia

Moderate: Child abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Medical content, and Death of parent

kelly_e's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative sad 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

Title: Honor
Author: Thrity Umrigar
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4.50
Pub Date: January 4, 2022

T H R E E • W O R D S

Immersive • Profound • Unforgettable

📖 S Y N O P S I S

Indian American journalist Smita has returned to India to cover a story, but reluctantly: long ago she and her family left the country with no intention of ever coming back. As she follows the case of Meena—a Hindu woman attacked by members of her own village and her own family for marrying a Muslim man—Smita comes face to face with a society where tradition carries more weight than one’s own heart, and a story that threatens to unearth the painful secrets of Smita’s own past. While Meena’s fate hangs in the balance, Smita tries in every way she can to right the scales. She also finds herself increasingly drawn to Mohan, an Indian man she meets while on assignment. But the dual love stories of Honor are as different as the cultures of Meena and Smita themselves: Smita realizes she has the freedom to enter into a casual affair, knowing she can decide later how much it means to her.

💭 T H O U G H T S

When Honor was announced as a Reese's pick for January 2022 it immediately caught my attention. After reading the synopsis, I was certain it was one of her picks that I would jive with. As the year went on I heard some really good things about it, but it took me until late 2023 to finally get my hands on a copy.

I was 100% invested, not bring able to put this book down, and reading it in its entirety in one sitting. It is heartbreakingly beautiful and complex. Yet despite all of the pain, it remains a story of enduring love and hope. Through her prose, Thrity brings into focus so many dichotomies (hate and love, oppression and privilege), intertwining comparisons between the western world and rural India. We get a look into two very different women. Meena's story is absolutely devastating, and I wanted to know Smita's family story for escaping India.

Oh but, it was really the last 'book' which dug itself into my mind. The graphic depictions of caste hierarchies, cultural conservatism, misogyny, public shaming, torture that continue to be the reality faced by so many to this day was deeply unsettling to read. It filled me with sadness. It filled me with rage. It filled me with empathy. It made me question humanity. I read a physical copy while listening to the audio, and this created a completely immersive experience.

My one quibble would be how it ended. I think Smita and Mohan's future would've been better left open-ended. Offering an answer reminded me of society's inability to sit with uncomfortableness. And in doing so it took away from the power of what came before.

Every now and then there is a book that touches me in ways I am not anticipating. Honor was one of those books. It shines a light on India's humanitarian crisis. Some of the hard-hitting and disturbing scenes will forever be etched into my memory. It is certainly the type of book you need to be in the right frame of mind for. I am definitely interested in exploring Thrity's backlist and picking up her 2023 release as well.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• readers who like realistic fiction
• anyone looking for memorable female protagonists
• bookclubs

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"Sometimes, it seemed to Smita that the history of the world was written in female blood."

"As children, we were taught to be afraid of tigers and lions. Nobody taught us what I know today - the most dangerous animal in this world is a man with wounded pride." 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Islamophobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, and Sexual violence

Minor: Cancer, Cursing, and Death of parent

death of partner, mutilation, poverty

sweetiekeke's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Blood, Islamophobia, Murder, and Abandonment

karmapen's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense slow-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Islamophobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism