A review by bodybeingsoulstl
A Tiny Upward Shove by Melissa Chadburn

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• 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? Yes

5.0

while a book of fiction, the book is based on some real events surrounding serial rapist and murder, Robert William Pickton… and if you know anything about the terrible acts this man has committed, you will know what kind of book you are stepping into.

Please read the trigger warnings, this book discusses challenging topics around abuse of children, systemic racism, drugs, sexual assault/rape, and domestic abuse. 

 

You might like this book, if you...
... are interested in paranormal folklore
... like a touch of realism in your thrillers
... believe in fate (but maybe not the romance kind)

As a person who enjoys the paranormal, I was intrigued by the Filipino folklore of aswang. While I did not anticipate the heaviness + seriousness this book contained, it drove me to consider and think about the larger systems at play that impact our people daily (not in an effective or supportive way) and how one entity (by chance or maybe fate) can bring some justice to the cruelties of the world. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Murder, and Abandonment