Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Sink: A Memoir by Joseph Earl Thomas

11 reviews

gondorgirl's review against another edition

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Drug use, Excrement, Suicidal thoughts, Infidelity, Addiction, Domestic abuse, Racism, Toxic relationship, Classism, Cursing, Sexism, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Toxic friendship, Violence, Alcohol, Bullying, Child abuse, Animal cruelty, Drug abuse, Racial slurs, and Body shaming

emilyjmasters's review against another edition

5.0

Super tough read, content-wise. I think it was a striking and unique choice to write a memoir in third person, but it also seems like it would probably be easier to write about some of these things like they happened to someone else 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Rape, Violence, Child abuse, and Drug use

demonxore's review against another edition

challenging sad tense medium-paced

2.75

Very very similar to my childhood so obviously this resonates, but the overall style and the method of ending the memoir could have been better.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Domestic abuse, Addiction, Drug abuse, and Child abuse

Moderate: Dysphoria, Excrement, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Violence, and Emotional abuse

mrsmishler's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Pedophilia, Sexism, Child abuse, Racism, Racial slurs, Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Violence, Sexual assault, Homophobia, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Bullying

Minor: Transphobia

vagrantheather's review against another edition

challenging dark sad medium-paced

4.5

I picked up Sink from a library display knowing nothing about the story or the author (and not noticing it was a memoir, which is far outside my typical fare). Three pages in I knew it was coming home with me. The story itself is hyperreal, disturbingly graphic and awful, but without that absurdism authors often add for levity. It isn't self piteous or self aggrandizing. It's not torture porn (you don't read it because you like to see the characters suffer). It makes no excuses and pulls no punches. This is a story replete with drug abuse, child abuse, spousal abuse, infestations, violence, rape, bullying, every difficult inner city reality imaginable (except, noticeably, homelessness). It is not "pleasant" to read. But it is well written. It's relatable in a way that literature needs. It gives a voice to people on the fringes, people society turns a blind eye to, people who don't often escape the brutality of their early lives.

I grew up in poverty but this is a whole different level of challenging. And somehow I feel that Joseph Earl Thomas would say the same - that yeah he had it bad, but others had it worse. Abuse is like that; you normalize it to survive, you justify that others are in worse places, you feel grateful for the little liberties you have. And that feels important to me. Thomas never had to say as much for me to feel like the point was well made. So I'd say this book is deft, competent, sophisticated. Important.

I have confusing feelings about the rampant abuse portrayed and would give a strong content warning to anyone with subjects they can't tolerate. All closet skeletons are on display.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Sexual assault, Mental illness, Cursing, Excrement, Body horror, Sexual content, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Violence, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Bullying, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, Racial slurs, Alcoholism, Medical trauma, Toxic relationship, Incest, Homophobia, Animal death, and Gaslighting

rachelcg's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Racism, Racial slurs, and Physical abuse

themightycheez's review against another edition

dark sad tense slow-paced

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Violence, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Animal cruelty

Moderate: Addiction and Drug abuse

lauraliz's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

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

sierras12's review against another edition

challenging sad medium-paced

4.5

One of the best written and saddest memoirs I’ve ever read. Every paragraph was a gut punch but I’m so glad I read it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Sexism, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Bullying, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Abandonment, Pedophilia, Misogyny, Violence, Racism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, and Child abuse

alite428's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Addiction, and Homophobia

Moderate: Cursing, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship