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morebedsidebooks's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Sexual assault, Violence, Homophobia, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Alcoholism, Suicide attempt, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Murder, Pedophilia, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Domestic abuse, Religious bigotry, Antisemitism, Medical content, Animal cruelty, Mental illness, Racism, Blood, and Confinement
james1star'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
5.0
Bouraoui’s work of autofiction tells her story of being a lesbian in 1980s Paris exploring her sexuality and identity under the backdrop of a growing threat (AIDS) and a legacy of silence and shame within the queer community. This marks the ‘chapters’ (they’re tiny, none more then three pages) headed ‘Becoming’ with the others: ‘Remembering’ and ‘Knowing’ giving the reader insight into Nina’s childhood split between Algeria and France, where her Father and Mother are from respectively. There is rather minimal plot but you don’t read it for this, the poetic, lyrical, mesmerising, darn right beautiful prose pulls you in and refuses to let you go from page one right to the very end. The writing is so exquisite leaving me stunned on nearly every page, I underlined whilst reading and only about 70% is left untouched, that’s how amazing I found it. What I also loved was how relatable parts of this was, as a queer person reading this there was just a lot I could not only understand but wholeheartedly feel within me and for this I truly appreciate books you can see yourself in. The queer experience is only half of what’s encapsulated within, that if being an immigrant and having two nationalities/identities is so well articulated. Additionally, themes of friendships, relationships, family dynamics, motherhood, religion and politics, racism and so many more are discussed.
I could fill pages upon pages with quotes from this book but I’ll narrow it down so you have something to look forward to when you read it… because you must read this book. These are the best from the first thirty three pages, there’s a lot where this comes from:
‘In the gay community (I like these two words, they don’t do much belong to me as own me)…’
‘France is an outfit I wear; Algeria is my skin, exposed to sun and storms.’
‘There is such thing as a gay childhood. My childhood. No excuses are needed. There’s no explanation. It simply is.’
‘The gay child is not lacking, she is different, outside of the norm, inside a normality of her own; not until later will she come to understand that her normality marks her out from others, condemns her to secrecy and shame.’
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Violence, Racism, War, and Homophobia
Minor: Sexism, Religious bigotry, Bullying, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Lesbophobia, Infidelity, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Suicide, Antisemitism, Grief, Mental illness, Islamophobia, Death of parent, Sexual violence, Rape, Domestic abuse, Addiction, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Colonisation, and Misogyny
sophieduncan's review against another edition
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Homophobia, Mental illness, Abandonment, War, Sexual content, Lesbophobia, and Drug abuse
Minor: Rape
charleyroxy's review against another edition
5.0
Minor: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Xenophobia