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kinta's review
challenging
emotional
mysterious
fast-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? It's complicated
5.0
looking at the premise of this book you’d think its just an average mystery - but oh my goodness it is so much more than that. it’s a story of belonging, loss, culture, addiction and family.
set in the 90’s in Australia’s heroin capital, Cabramatta, the novel primarily follows Kay and her uncovering of details and events that occurred on the night her younger brother Denny was murdered. straight-a student and quiet, his peers are baffled by his sudden and gruesome death on the night of his formal. this book is perfectly paced and dips into the perspectives of witnesses of the murder.
my favourite excerpt:
There is no way for me to tell her that we’ve lost so much more - more than time with our parents, more than time with each other. There is no way for me to tell her that the loss began well before we were born, that our parents had loss, and our ancestors had loss - loss of home, loss of place, loss of self, loss of life - and we were born with that loss, carried it, burdened by it, part of it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and Death
Minor: Blood and Murder
deepgreensandblues's review
dark
emotional
sad
slow-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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Xenophobia, Drug abuse, and Racism
Moderate: Physical abuse
jtran's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Addiction, Murder, Death, Violence, Grief, Racism, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Toxic friendship, and Domestic abuse
literarylaila's review
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, and Drug abuse
michelles_book_nook's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
⚠️ TW: murder, grief, racism, xenophobia, alcoholism, drug abuse, addiction, misogyny, sexism, fatphobia, gang violence, overdose, domestic violence and brief mentions of child abuse ⚠️ Wow, this was a hugely challenging, dark and emotional read that gave such a vivid portrayal of life as a Vietnamese refugee in Sydney in the 90's. This book follows the Tran family as they journey through their grief left following the brutal murder of their son and brother, Denny, whilst also searching for answers as to what happened on that fateful night. Denny was simply out celebrating his high school graduation with friends at a busy restaurant in the Sydney suburb of Cabramatta, a refugee enclave facing violent crime, an indifferent police force and the worst heroin epidemic in Australian history, when he never made it home. Moving forward to his funeral his sister, Ky, discovers that the police are stumped by her brother's case and that despite a list of people being present that night everyone claims to have seen nothing and they are all staying silent. She then decides to track down the witnesses herself in a quest to learn what truly happened. And as she peels back the layers of the place that shaped her she confronts the complex traumas weighing on those present that night and learns that their silence began well before her brother's murder and so much has been left unsaid about colonialism, the war in Vietnam and the choices everyone made to survive. This book is such a hard hitting read and even though it is fiction with aspects that are based on real life it just absolutely left me speechless. It is beautifully written, compelling, harrowing and so poignant. Overall, I cannot recommend this book enough!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia, Addiction, Murder, Misogyny, Domestic abuse, Death, Fatphobia, Violence, Grief, Drug use, Drug abuse, Sexism, and Racism
Moderate: Alcoholism
Minor: Child abuse
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