Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

Honor by Elif Shafak

2 reviews

inknosedowl's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

What an amazing book! I feel like I almost read it too fast with how much I enjoyed it. 
It took me minute to get everyone in the family straight and to keep the storylines in check, but overall I loved this novel. 
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again Shafak is one of the most beautiful writers I think I’ll ever read. She has such a way of describing the way characters feel and the setting around them it blows me away every time. I never want to stop writing down her quotes. 
Some of this book was honestly a little hard to read because of how intense and obviously toxic this family was. Seeing that tradition and honor can destroy a family so completely and horrifically put it in a new view for me. The writing was so intense and luring that it almost felt like it was from a personal point of view that really made me feel what was happening in the story.  
The ending really threw me for a loop! I did not expect the twist at all and I enjoyed that It happened. I thought it was going to end differently so I was glad for the surprise. 
I would absolutely read this book, but I would check trigger warnings before hand as well. 

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lorees_reading_nook's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful sad slow-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

3.75

As the title states, this is a book about  honour, family honour, to be exact. It is the story of a young Turkish family that emigrated to London in the 1970s. It is told from the perspective of people from an Eastern culture trying to integrate into a Western one without completely losing their sense of identity by trying to keep some of their traditions alive.

But it is also a story about internalised misogyny, about the cultural perception that exists in many countries that there is a set of weights and measures for men and another one for women  -with men allowed to do pretty  much as they please while women suffer the consequences. Honour is not one of those books that you pick up and read in one sitting. There are many passages that will make you stop and think, not only to question the actions of the characters in the book, but perhaps to also prod you into dissecting your own preconceived notions about certain subjects.

Honour is not Elif Shafak's best known book but I believe her intention was to raise awareness about a subject that is very close to her heart.

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