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tey_lynn'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Minor: Murder, Grief, Violence, Blood, Body shaming, Death of parent, Gun violence, Confinement, Death, Deportation, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, and Suicidal thoughts
cosmicpanda's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Moderate: Murder, Racism, Violence, Grief, Islamophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Blood, Body shaming, Deportation, Fatphobia, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
Minor: Abortion, Alcohol, Drug use, Medical content, Sexism, Misogyny, and Rape
t_higgsreviews's review against another edition
5.0
CAWPILE = 9.11
Graphic: Xenophobia, Gaslighting, Grief, Islamophobia, Gun violence, Religious bigotry, Death, Racism, Murder, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Deportation
annniina98's review against another edition
3.5
Graphic: Grief, Mass/school shootings, Death, Murder, Gun violence, Hate crime, and Blood
kather_doc's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Murder, Mass/school shootings, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Gun violence, and Violence
blackcatkai's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
UPDATE! i never did quite get my thoughts in order then i forgot to come back. overall, this one started strong but i didnt quite care for the middle or ending of this one. it wasnt bad, just bits here and there that threw me out of the story.
CW: Gun violence, Death, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Child abuse, Fatphobia/body shaming, grief, murder, casual ableism
Graphic: Gun violence, Murder, Racism, Child abuse, Death, Violence, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Grief, Fatphobia, and Body shaming
Minor: Ableism
marareading'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
4.0
This book is about a man who goes in to take his citizenship test and he gets more than he planned for. I could never have imagined the twists in this book. So much packed into a short book. I loved it.
Graphic: Grief, Gun violence, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Islamophobia, Violence, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, and Torture
kstericker'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
5.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Mass/school shootings, Violence, Fatphobia, and Grief
Minor: Hate crime, Islamophobia, and Racism
runwithkander'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: Gun violence, Torture, Religious bigotry, Racial slurs, Islamophobia, Gaslighting, Child death, Hate crime, Grief, Murder, and Racism
dalmavatai's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
As social commentary, I believe this book is extremely successful. The way that it explores the dangers of the intersection between scientific technology and xenophobia in Britain, all while the country purports to be against prejudice and discrimination, was radical in the best way possible. The dystopian future Neuvel imagines in this short story is a radical critique of our own time and the ways in which 'Western' countries in particular think that they are liberal and accepting, all while perpetuating a status quo that's still very xenophobic, racist, and Islamophobic.
However, this book wasn't for me in other ways. The explanations of science definitely went way over my head, especially because I listened to the audiobook and couldn't go back if I didn't grasp something fully. I also thought that the plot point towards the end, while I understand its function as commentary, was a bit random and I could not fully appreciate its inclusion in the story, especially as so much was going on already that I found it a bit hard to follow.
Short stories are not terribly likely to get a very high rating from me because I can't connect to the characters in such a short period of time, but this is a short story that I believe is definitely worth the read even for those not into science fiction. Maybe read the physical book (perhaps along with the audio because Neal Shah's performance is superb) if you want to stay on top of everything that's going on, though!
Graphic: Blood, Death, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Islamophobia, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Racism, Violence, and Xenophobia
Minor: Fatphobia