Reviews tagging 'Suicide'

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

106 reviews

aleksanski's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Addiction and Adult/minor relationship

caseylovett's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape and Suicide

Minor: Physical abuse, Torture, and Cannibalism

jabakken's review

dark tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

rachelmerrie's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective tense slow-paced

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

3.0

The first half was very interesting, the second half lost my attention. I think the second half maybe was just as interesting, just dragged on? The concept is so captivating and challenging. Worth the read, tons of TWs. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Trafficking, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Cannibalism, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail

ash_valkyreader's review

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• 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? No

5.0

Series or Stand-alone: Duology  
Genre: post-apocalyptic, grim, afrofuturism, sci-fi 
First time or Reread: First time
Finished or DNF: finished 
Spice: 🚫 
Steam: 🚫
Representation: black main character, disability (in a way) 

Triggers: drugs, murder, rape (child included), death of children, canablism, sickness, brutalization, parental abuse, torture, animal harm, home fire, homelessness, suicide. Note: discriptions varied in intensity. No rate was in explicit detail. Deaths were. There are several passages I skipped over. 

Review:
This book was absolutely a brutal look at humanity. It is dark post-apocalyptic fiction that provides commentary on climate change and social inequality. It was pitched to me as “it’s kind of like if Handmaidens tale was written by Maya Angelou but darker” which is one hell of a pitch. And I can see where they are coming from on all accounts. I will never forget this book. The book is written in a journal format and told well with prose that stick with you. 

Plot:
Lauren starts off this book as a young girl navigating a California that is falling apart. She lives in a walled community that keeps out the desperate street poor and crazed cultist. By comparison her life is tranquil. Her father is a professor and preacher and community leader. They survive on community strength and his good sense. They are able to scrape by on farming and the little money they bring. The climate has left them with little water and much disaster. Slowly things fall apart. Those outside the wall are getting in the wall. Lauren is smart and keen so she begins to devise a plan to survive. She means to survive. Along the way she develops Earthseed. Her religion and her way of making sense of the world, surviving it, and maintaining her humanity. Eventually all her preparations are put to the test and she must make her way some place safer - better.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Death

Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Cannibalism, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Animal death and Suicide

nojerama's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• 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

5.0

Terrifyingly plausible, absolutely gripping, should be required reading everywhere. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Trafficking, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Incest, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Dementia, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation

pettigrew143's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

conspiracycrows's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Reading this, in 2023 as a 25 year old is eerie. Especially when the main character was born the same year as your younger sibling. This book will set you on edge, make you think, and remind you in so many ways that people are people.
Evil, angry, barbaric
And
Kind, good, thoughtful 
You will find the phrase "god is change" drifting through your thiughts no matter your religion, because no matter your religion something about it rings true. 
The one true constant in this world is change. 
And in accepting that we can begin to use that change. 
I hope, pray, and work to make sure a future like the one in this book never comes to pass. That as much as this world changes, I can at least guide my small portion of it to something softer. 
If enough of us do that, perhaps we can make a world that is kinder, that is softer. 
A world where someone with hyper empathy, whether the extreme syndrome detailed here, or the real life symptom of some neurodivergent people like myself, do not have to be afraid of seeing the world around us. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Slavery, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism

Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Slavery, Trafficking, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Colonisation, and Classism

boba_nbooks's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• 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

3.5

I think this would’ve been a very interesting novel to read for a high school AP class or a college English course. 

Lauren, the main character and narrator, is an odd person. She never quite feels that she fits in her home neighborhood because she naively believes she is the only one who sees that trouble is coming. However, these beliefs are what lead her to create Earthseed—a religion whose main belief is that “God is change.” I found this to be an interesting concept as Lauren grows up and leaves her neighborhood. 

The journal entries were an enjoyable way to read the story, but it makes me wonder how reliable a narrator Lauren really is. 

I would have loved to see more of Lauren’s “sharing” abilities. They seemed to only come into play when it was convenient, but it was an interesting concept to bring up that is more prevalent in the latter half of the novel. I’m curious to see what the author does with that aspect of Lauren’s character in the next novel. 

I loved the dynamic between Lauren and her father. I felt that he left or possibly died too soon in the story, but it’d be a good move in my opinion if Butler brought him back to reunite with Lauren in the next novel.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Slavery, Violence, Trafficking, Grief, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Drug abuse, Racism, Rape, Suicide, Blood, Police brutality, Cannibalism, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Animal death and Sexual content

There are a lot of content warnings for this novel. Make sure to check them out before you read since there are a lot of triggering moments.

evjohn13's review

dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Trafficking, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury