A review by gillian_aftanas
Hurricane Season by Fernanda Melchor
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.25
I wouldn’t have picked up or finished this book if it hadn’t been assigned for a class. Stars were given for the interesting style of the prose, that while very difficult (and kind of annoying) to read certainly created the sense of chaos that comes with a hurricane that the book was emulating, and for the wonderful translation by Sophie Hughes that felt genuine and accurate to the original text. The subject matter was incredibly dark and graphic. It was very difficult to read because of how terrible all of the characters were, how much they hated themselves and everyone around them. Hatred for women, transgender people and queer people abounds here, do not expect any justice or happiness, there is no voice of reason. I would not recommend the book except for maybe the first chapter just to study the prose style if you are a writer. Pretty much every content warning applies in a major way.
Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Bullying, Car accident, Death, Drug use, Abortion, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Hate crime, Homophobia, Incest, Pedophilia, Cursing, Sexual violence, Pregnancy, Racism, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Medical content, Police brutality, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Violence, Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Misogyny, and Murder
Moderate: Medical trauma, Outing, Colonisation, Fatphobia, Abandonment, Body shaming, and Classism