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fivefeather's review against another edition
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Homophobia, Murder, Sexual content, Death, Hate crime, Police brutality, War, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Child death, Suicide, Colonisation, Kidnapping, Confinement, and Genocide
Minor: Car accident, Sexual harassment, Alcohol, Drug use, Animal death, and Death of parent
rosalind's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Infidelity, Car accident, Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, Murder, and War
Moderate: Blood, Classism, Child death, Colonisation, Grief, Sexual content, and Homophobia
Minor: Lesbophobia, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Biphobia, Blood, and Genocide
natyourusual_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: War, Homophobia, Violence, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Infidelity, Addiction, Suicidal thoughts, and Mental illness
Minor: Colonisation and Confinement
lilaccoconut_bookclub's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The imagery, the mythology, the historical context, and even the 2nd-person narrative. I usually hate 2nd-person, but this was done so thoroughly well that I loved it. It made me reconsider my bias against 2nd person. The entire story was poignant, intriguing, and hopeful in its own way. Not only that, it gave me the opportunity to learn more about Sri Lanka.
In the end, when he finds out how he died (because that's the whole point) and he
Graphic: Confinement, Genocide, War, Death, and Gore
Moderate: Murder, Alcohol, Grief, Torture, and Homophobia
Minor: Suicide
owenwilsonbaby's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Police brutality, Racism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Cursing, Death of parent, Classism, Confinement, Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Homophobia, Infidelity, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Toxic relationship, Body horror, Colonisation, Car accident, Child death, Death, Drug use, Misogyny, Murder, and Sexual violence
_maia3_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
If you're going into this book wanting something politically charged, this is not the book for it. Partisan violence is treated as an unsolvable issue and the ending reinforces the fact that this book is about finding enjoyment in the little beauties in life - not about civil war, or changing the status quo. I understand that setting a book during a war that would continue for another two decades presents its own difficulties in finding an ending, but I was ultimately left a little disenchanted as I had hoped that the political plot lines would amount to more - maybe that's on me for not getting the message sooner.
Overall I would recommend!
Graphic: Hate crime, Confinement, Grief, Car accident, Suicide, Murder, Homophobia, and War
Moderate: Suicide, Suicide attempt, Torture, Infidelity, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Death, Violence, and Addiction
Minor: Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Sexual content, Death of parent, Drug use, and Sexual assault
kaiyakaiyo's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
3.0
Maali was… not a good person but he tried to do right by his family in the end, and i really liked him becoming a helper. DD… I’ll be honest he pissed me off. The entire time he’s being skeptical & unhelpful while Jaki risks her life for their friend/lover… his dad literally had his bf murdered and he just ate it up & got a WHITE boyfriend weeks later… their relationship was awful but still YIKES.
Sena… what a bitch boy.
The ending was a bit sad but hopeful, I need to think on it more.
Graphic: Hate crime, Colonisation, Death, Toxic friendship, War, Torture, Violence, Homophobia, Suicide, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Alcohol, Blood, Car accident, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Grief, Gun violence, Kidnapping, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Racial slurs, Rape, Sexism, Pedophilia, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, and Suicidal thoughts
lucyeanderson's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Colonisation, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Confinement, Violence, Classism, Genocide, Car accident, Grief, Homophobia, Racism, Death, Religious bigotry, Police brutality, Suicide, Suicide attempt, War, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Kidnapping, Blood, Murder, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Addiction, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
rieviolet's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.5
I quite enjoyed the writing style and the elements of magical realism. The narrative was challenging and even brutal at times, but very much captivating.
I have to admit that I generally struggle with unlikeable characters (especially if they are the main characters) but this is a rare case in which I actually appreciated all of these flawed and at times even unpleasant people, they felt very real and well-rounded in their portrayal.
I also liked that the story is deeply grounded in Sri Lankan history but the narration is not weighed down with long-winded explanatory paragraphs (which I really do not like in fiction as they stand out too much and interrupt the narrative flow), the reader has to pick up pieces of historical information as the narration progresses and/or do further reasearch by themself.
I also want to mention that the final revelation of Maali's fate left me completely stunned, I was speechless, floored, I still cannot believe it, it was truly a plot twist that I did not see coming and it landed like a punch to the stomach.
Some episodes/sections left me a bit perplexed
Because, on reflection, once you have seen your own face and recognized the color of your eyes, tasted the air and smelled the soil, drunk from the purest fountains and the dirtiest wells, that is the kindest thing you can say abut life. It's not nothing.
Graphic: Body horror, Genocide, War, Murder, Mass/school shootings, Injury/Injury detail, Homophobia, Hate crime, Death, Gore, Violence, Gun violence, Fire/Fire injury, Torture, Police brutality, and Suicide
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Classism, Child death, Infidelity, Blood, Suicide attempt, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Confinement, Colonisation, Drug use, Alcohol, Death of parent, Kidnapping, and Grief
Minor: Excrement, Abandonment, Abortion, Outing, Fatphobia, Slavery, Animal death, Sexual harassment, Vomit, Rape, Car accident, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Pedophilia, and Cancer
augie_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Homophobia, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Torture, War, Addiction, Car accident, Drug use, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Genocide, Kidnapping, and Sexual content