A review by seventhswan
We Had to Remove This Post by Hanna Bervoets

dark sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I saw a lot of criticism of this book after borrowing it from the library so I was apprehensive going in  - but I enjoyed it, and found much of the criticism to be unwarranted. It is true that the ending felt a bit rushed and incongruous with the rest of the book, but that was my only real complaint. Otherwise, the characters felt very real, the plot did not rely on gratuitous violence despite the subject matter, and I came away with a fair amount to think about. Many of the characters do spout views that are offensive, but in my opinion it's clear that that's because they have come to believe untrue and bigoted things, not because the author wants to promote those views. It's also true that the book was not as gory or graphic as I expected from the subject matter, but I think it managed to be unsettling and unpleasant without resorting to endless pages of detailed violence.

Finally, shoutout to the translator! I would never have guessed if I didn't know that this book was not originally written in English - the writing flowed beautifully and was very pleasant to read stylistically, if not content-wise.
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