Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

Liberation Day by George Saunders

3 reviews

cmcrockford's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny sad medium-paced

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

3.75

Very, very good with some quibbles: (1) Saunders is doing some really neat sci-fi except literary critics wouldn't quite be plotzing themselves over his work if they, oh, picked up some PKD or LeGuin or any other genre writer they deign too low for them, and (2) some of the stories pull a singular trick with "person in dystopia has eyes opened" and you can only do that so many times before it's just a trick and not a real emotional process.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Confinement, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Gun violence, Blood, Death, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Infidelity

Moderate: Sexual content

scmiller's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Violence, Child abuse, Classism, Death, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Murder, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Colonisation, Physical abuse, and Police brutality

Moderate: Bullying, Blood, Abandonment, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, and Misogyny

rorikae's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

'Liberation Day' by George Saunders is a thought-provoking short story collection that delves into topics such as how we participate in systems, political propaganda, how we view others, and more. The collection spans from longer pieces to shorter pieces that intersperse the longer ones. I personally found that the longer pieces were my favorites because Saunders was allowed the time to more fully explore worlds and in the process convey more commentary. My two personal favorite stories in the collection are the titular Liberation Day, which comments on participation in systems, classism, and personal autonomy. My other favorite is Elliott Spencer, which discusses political propaganda, bodily autonomy, and the lengths people will go to to make a point. I found the shorter stories less affecting, especially those that were more realistic. Where Saunders blends speculative elements with commentary are where I feel that his writing shines. If you have been a fan of Saunders work in the past, I definitely recommend this collection. It has a lot of meaty ideas to chew on and I'll be thinking about them for quite some time.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Confinement, Classism, Death, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Kidnapping

Minor: Death of parent and Cancer