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I was interested in the revolutionary aspect, the possibility of dismantling empire, the reasons for resistance and the perennial question of whether it is better to resist from within or necessary to have a revolution. However, this wasn't adequately developed, devolving into weak argumentation rather than showing a nuanced consideration through the story.
The character development was weak. Victoire and Letty, two of the main characters, had barely any personality for the bulk of the book, and then towards the end had intense, key roles, but again, not entirely believable because we had no real sense of who they were, in spite of hundreds of pages where we might have gained a sense of them and feel confident that their actions were in keeping with their motivations and their character.
There's a review of The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi that says it "is quite rigorously engaged with the legacies of colonialism and neo-colonialism, [but] is written by someone who benefits from those legacies." (Niall Harrison, as quoted on Wikipedia). I would suggest the same seems to be true of this book.
Graphic: Death of parent, Murder
Moderate: Racism, Sexism, Blood
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, War, Classism, Deportation
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Gore, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Addiction, Child death, Drug use, Gun violence, Sexism, Slavery, Police brutality, Alcohol, War, Classism
Minor: Confinement, Infidelity
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, Classism
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Religious bigotry, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Racism, Torture, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Classism, Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Child death, Drug abuse, Genocide, Homophobia, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Islamophobia, Religious bigotry, Car accident, War, Deportation
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, Colonisation
Moderate: Child abuse, Gun violence, Sexism, Sexual harassment
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Death of parent, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Deportation, Pandemic/Epidemic
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Xenophobia, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, Classism
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Islamophobia, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Pandemic/Epidemic
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Alcohol, Pandemic/Epidemic