Reviews tagging 'Racial slurs'

The Break by Katherena Vermette

10 reviews

wordsofclover's review against another edition

dark reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

When Stella wakes up in the middle of the night to care for her crying child, she doesn't expect to witness a crime in the empty field across from her house. Shaken at the unspeakable violence she has witnessed, Stella tries to deal with the guilt she feels for not doing more. On the other side of town, another family of Métis women, come together when one of their own - the most precious and innocent - is injured.

This book is phenomenal for a debut novel - the combination of pain, violence and neglect as well as the love, kindness and care between all the characters is amazing. I was really hooked into this story and all the women we are following as they try and piece their lives together after a terrible violent act.

This book focuses on the lives of Métis women living in Winnipeg in Canada, and looks at the danger and intergenerational trauma lived by so many young girls and women in such societies where they are looked down upon, are abused and assaulted on regular basis and let down by any type of government authority that should be caring for them. I feel like Phoenix's story reflects this the most - the anger, and confusion she feels throughout the novel, despite at times presenting as a young, scared child who just wants to be cared for. And in parts we learn what her mother Elsie went through as a teenager and piece together what Phoenix's life must have been like because of this.

And Cheryl, Lou, Emily and Paul - along with Rita and Ziggy - are in such a community of love and kindness with one another, it feels like another world but that doesn't mean these women weren't hurt from abusive husbands to heartbreak, to witnessing terrible things and knowing at all times the danger they are in as women in their world.

But while this book is centered around a horrible act of sexual violence, the deeper story in it is about the love and hope between all these women, and how they hold on to each other throughout it all and never let anyone fade away. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault

Moderate: Racism, Racial slurs, and Child abuse

Minor: Child death

dallyowally's review

dark mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Sexual assault, Sexism, Child abuse, Gore, Drug abuse, Drug use, Alcohol, Sexual violence, Racism, Sexual content, Racial slurs, Xenophobia, Rape, Physical abuse, Murder, Hate crime, Misogyny, and Grief

schaarzy's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Violence, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Rape

Moderate: Blood, Toxic relationship, Sexism, Sexual content, Medical content, Child death, and Mental illness

Minor: Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Blood, Child abuse, Toxic friendship, Racial slurs, Eating disorder, Dementia, and Death of parent

kaleys23's review against another edition

dark reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Racism

Moderate: Racial slurs and Medical trauma

Minor: Death of parent

rosiecockshutt's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

Graphic: Rape and Sexual assault

Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, and Drug abuse

Minor: Drug use

kelseak96's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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? Yes

5.0

Devastating. Gorgeous. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Violence

Moderate: Drug use, Fatphobia, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Racial slurs

whatcassiedid's review

challenging dark emotional reflective 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

5.0

Beautifully written but brutal subject matter. This is maybe the first book I've read that had a content warning on the first page, which I really appreciated. Despite following a horrible sexual assault, this is a story about the bonds of family and Indigenous matriarchs.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault

Moderate: Racial slurs

kyanite's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault and Rape

Moderate: Racism, Racial slurs, and Death

Minor: Murder

teacupsandfirereads's review

dark reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

This story is full of trauma. Trauma that needs to be heard. Personal trauma, familial trauma, intergenerational trauma. It is as hopeful as is is sad though. I enjoyed how it was laid out, how each chapter was dedicated to a different character and their story and how they were connected. The characters were strong and well thought out. Each had a story to tell. The family tree was helpful in placing characters as the story progressed, because it was not always told. The story also told of the culture and the way it interacts with the community. I did find that the story felt unfinished, but I also see the necessity and beauty in that. All in all, I really enjoyed it. It was a story of strength and family and hardship.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Racial slurs, Addiction, Toxic relationship, and Forced institutionalization

ldandridge's review

dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape

Moderate: Violence and Racism

Minor: Alcoholism and Racial slurs