Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Vi dyra by Justin Torres

15 reviews

titiscorner_191's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense 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

3.0

This was a book club read from my work book club.

With that being said, I most likely wouldn’t have read this book on my own. It took me a while to read. It is very raw and I typically read for fun lol so this book was the opposite of that completely. I felt like I was reading a book for English class. 

I found the style of writing difficult and hard to follow, but taking a long time to read the book may have contributed to that opinion. After researching more about the book and dissecting it, I found it interesting that the book is loosely based on the authors life, but the actual events that took place are fiction. I also found confirmation that the narrator and youngest brother is never named throughout the story. At a certain point I was like “what’s his name again?” Only to find out he was never named (lol).

I probabaly wouldn’t suggest this book to another person, but I have given 3/5 because while I didn’t enjoy the writing style, I see the hard work of the author and feel someone who typically reads this genre/style would enjoy this read.
 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Child abuse, and Domestic abuse

ajay913's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

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

1.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Sexual violence, Adult/minor relationship, and Homophobia

Minor: Abandonment and Forced institutionalization

gotnoculture's review against another edition

tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Bullying and Forced institutionalization

Minor: Adult/minor relationship

during a later scene the boys are shown incest pornography by a neighborhood teen and this scene is quite troubling

specificwonderland's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

In a way, not too much happened in this brief novella. In another way, so much happened. To list out the plot points is novella-length, a truncated bulleted list. To describe the characters' inner workings is a much larger project. I felt for these brothers and their survival. You could see how Paps exerted his influence but the kids didn't fully shrink away or lose themselves until the final threads of the story got woven. He exerted his influence on the mom from day 1, to everyone's detriment. You could feel the helplessness of the kids being swept along with the parents' bullshit. You hope kids are well cared for by competent parents but that's not always the case. Parents can just be people, and people are imperfect to some degree. And what a cast of ancillary characters: the neighbor, the bus driver and the mom's coworker Camrade. Re: the neighbor, it's infuriating that kids could be outside bouncing a ball yelling about the abuse they were bearing and the neighbor would be like, 'Hmmm this is a perfect time to show neglected kids incest porn'. But you know that happens in small towns, big towns, rich towns, poor towns. These kids never stood a chance, but they had each other.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Sexual content, Pedophilia, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Incest, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, and Rape

uhhjeepers's review against another edition

emotional reflective fast-paced

3.75

Read for school.

This is a fast-paced, vignette styled narrative that tells the coming of age story of the youngest of three brothers. This book really came together for me at the end, and I strongly recommend it. It is emotional and honest and the writing is spectacular. The growth from the narrative feeling like it’s told from a child to a teenager really stuck with me, like I could read the changes on the page.

Check for TWs. They’re brief and don’t go into excruciating detail, but I still definitely felt them.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Outing, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, and Forced institutionalization

kananineko's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Violence, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Forced institutionalization, Incest, Abandonment, Body horror, Cursing, Homophobia, Outing, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual violence

Minor: Infidelity, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Sexism, Racism, Alcohol, Blood, Self harm, and Bullying

sieriad's review against another edition

adventurous funny reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Beautiful prose, I could really feel the messy chaos and wonder of the three brothers growing up. I didn’t like the ending at all though. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, and Adult/minor relationship

librarymouse's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad

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

5.0

This book pulls at the threads of humanity, fraying the fabric until it's distilled to its purest parts. The narrator shows the core memories of childhood, building up into the moment of the fracturing of his family unit and the unit that was made up of his brothers. Their childlike, experimenting, queered, and crushed mother makes such a complex character, as does their father and the juxtaposition of his tenderness and machismo. This book is truly unsettling and full of life.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Violence, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Outing, Sexism, Child abuse, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Alcohol, Homophobia, and Incest

Minor: Adult/minor relationship

fructosebaby's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Child abuse, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Outing, Domestic abuse, and Rape

Moderate: Child abuse, Cursing, and Alcohol

therainbowshelf's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

An interesting look at childhoods packed with trauma. Not a particularly uplifting read, but interesting (I think this is a novel in verse, but am not sure since I listened to the audio). Content warnings for domestic abuse, child abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, sexual acts performed in front of children, homophobia, and forced institutionalization.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Alcohol, Child abuse, Cursing, Homophobia, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Outing, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Rape

Nonconsensual sex with a married partner, parents having sex in front of their children