bee_eviljoy36's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
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? It's complicated
5.0
This book holds a mirror up to Australia's racist past and present and the view is not pleasant.
It follows the stories of residents and staff of a nursing home called Cinamon Gardens in Sydney. Many of whom are refugees that fled Sri Lanka which was undergoing genocide and ethnic cleansing.
The stories unfold slowly in a gut wrenching and emotional tail of finding forgiveness for the decision made while under extreme trauma.
It follows the stories of residents and staff of a nursing home called Cinamon Gardens in Sydney. Many of whom are refugees that fled Sri Lanka which was undergoing genocide and ethnic cleansing.
The stories unfold slowly in a gut wrenching and emotional tail of finding forgiveness for the decision made while under extreme trauma.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Genocide, Torture, and War
Moderate: Child death and Rape
kirstym25's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Genocide, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Racial slurs, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Torture, and Sexual assault
linda3's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Racism
Moderate: Child death, Torture, and War
e11en's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia, Violence, Racism, Child death, Racial slurs, and Hate crime
katiiekhaos's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- 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? Yes
3.5
This book is beautifully written and has a rich world and characters, however I found myself getting confused with the multiple time lines and so many main characters. I wanted to love this one more, however I can tell the author is incredibly talented and will definitely pick up more of their books in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, War, Genocide, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual assault, Child death, and Death of parent
charlesbilby's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
5.0
Brilliant multi-generational story of war and community and healing and trauma. Also incredible tracing of how racist attacks happen in Australia and excellent deconstruction of male fragility and violence
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Rape
sidhe's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Dementia and Vomit
Minor: Sexual assault
jamesjoyc's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Sexual assault, War, Genocide, and Racism
witmol's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
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
An outstanding use of multiple narrators and time shifts that elucidates modern Australian discourse about racism and migration through the lens of the Sri Lankan civil war and the effects of genocide and historical revisionism.
With a genuinely diverse cast of characters – old and young, of different ethnicities, religions and cultures and a range of occupations – Chandran shows the effects of both racism and free speech rhetoric and dives deep into the idea of legacy, from the matriarch with a secret identity, to the self-professed good bloke who denies responsibility for his attitude and the orderly whose past determines his actions.
I also need to mention that this is actually quite a funny book, both in its sharply observed descriptions ("According to party rumour, he was former special ops, and there was something about him that made all of them want to salute him and delete their search histories") and eloquently scathing in its skewering of politics and political optics ("The only thing worse than white male privilege was white female privilege. It had the entitlement of male privilege, a heavy dose of fake empathy for the disadvantaged, and complete blindness to the intersectional nature of its own advantage").
The funniest is probably the shade thrown by the author's avatar, though I grant not everyone will find this as amusing as I did: "@sarahbyrnes_author Hosting Bollywood-themed birthday parties does not make you culturally competent. Also, chai means tea. There’s no such thing as tea tea."
There's a lot of heavy stuff in here about war and trauma but also a lot of light, particularly the way the seniors are valued and cared for. Come for the story, stay for the tea.
With a genuinely diverse cast of characters – old and young, of different ethnicities, religions and cultures and a range of occupations – Chandran shows the effects of both racism and free speech rhetoric and dives deep into the idea of legacy, from the matriarch with a secret identity, to the self-professed good bloke who denies responsibility for his attitude and the orderly whose past determines his actions.
I also need to mention that this is actually quite a funny book, both in its sharply observed descriptions ("According to party rumour, he was former special ops, and there was something about him that made all of them want to salute him and delete their search histories") and eloquently scathing in its skewering of politics and political optics ("The only thing worse than white male privilege was white female privilege. It had the entitlement of male privilege, a heavy dose of fake empathy for the disadvantaged, and complete blindness to the intersectional nature of its own advantage").
The funniest is probably the shade thrown by the author's avatar, though I grant not everyone will find this as amusing as I did: "@sarahbyrnes_author Hosting Bollywood-themed birthday parties does not make you culturally competent. Also, chai means tea. There’s no such thing as tea tea."
There's a lot of heavy stuff in here about war and trauma but also a lot of light, particularly the way the seniors are valued and cared for. Come for the story, stay for the tea.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Hate crime, Torture, Violence, War, and Racism
Minor: Child death, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Islamophobia, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Death
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