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aristarcodisamo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Racism, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cursing, Drug use, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Kidnapping, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and Classism
Minor: Addiction, Cancer, Alcohol, and Dysphoria
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: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Fatphobia, Gore, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
_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: Confinement, Hate crime, Homophobia, Suicide, Grief, Car accident, Murder, and War
Moderate: Addiction, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Infidelity, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Child death, Drug use, Gore, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
bookgardendc's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Drug use, Genocide, Homophobia, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Homophobia, Suicide, Violence, Grief, and War
Minor: Drug use and Torture
This book is about war and its consequences. Homophobia is an underlying theme. There are descriptions of atrocities although they are not super graphic and there are brief unemotional descriptions of the ways in which people die. Suicide comes up frequently.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: Confinement, Death, Drug use, Genocide, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Addiction, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
izznzz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Car accident, Murder, and War
Minor: Drug use, Homophobia, Infidelity, and Sexual content
lenchen25's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Sexual content, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail
aliquis's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Murder, and War
Minor: Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Car accident, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent
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, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Drug use, Infidelity, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Classism
Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, Cancer, Drug abuse, Fatphobia, Pedophilia, Rape, Slavery, Excrement, Vomit, Car accident, Abortion, Outing, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
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: Addiction, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Genocide, Homophobia, Infidelity, Sexual content, Torture, Kidnapping, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail