A review by jaecake
White Chrysanthemum by Mary Lynn Bracht

dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

I could read it for hours at a time, even though each chapter flipped between the two sisters in to separate timelines, the story made it easy to digest the background of the characters when needed. This sort of allows you to not have the full picture immediately and you get to hear both the sisters stories from themselves. It's fictional but very much based on the horrific truth that isn't talked about. The author includes sources and further reading aswell as a timescale of events at the end of the book. This book will have a soft place in my heart.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation

Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Excrement, Death of parent, and Deportation