Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

Nightcrawling: A Novel by Leila Mottley

120 reviews

monicablouin's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Sexual assault, and Suicide attempt

samarakroeger's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

3.75

I can’t believe Leila Mottley wrote this when she was 17! it’s so rare for someone that young to put out a book that shows this much promise. While I do think Nightcrawling was hindered by some hallmark traits of debuts, I will for sure be following Mottley’s literary career and reading whatever else she writes. 

a note for the weak-stomached: this book is GRIM. it is unrelenting. it is a tough read, but it would certainly be doing people a disservice if it wasn’t written this way. 

I did find the beginning harder to get into than I anticipated, but became a bit more invested in the last section of the book. The writing was a tad overwritten (not surprising for a poet and a debut novel), but beautiful on a sentence level. It just got to be a little over the top for me. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence, Police brutality, Trafficking, Stalking, and Abandonment

123aah456's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense 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? No

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Child death, Death, Physical abuse, Racism, Police brutality, Trafficking, Grief, and Death of parent

emmamcelderry's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective slow-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Trafficking, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment

kawooreads's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

For some reason, I went into reading this book thinking it was a thriller. I am not sure where I got that idea. In reading the synopsis it sounds like a young girl, with little options, finds herself involved in a criminal underground. While that is an accurate synopsis, this book is 100% heartbreaking drama with no real suspense. And I don't mean that in a bad way.  It's been awhile since I read something picked for Oprah's Book Club so I forgot that she can pick such soul-destroying tales. This is the story of Kiara, a teenager who turns to a life of prostitution in East Oakland in order to provide for her brother as well as a young boy in her apartment complex who has no strong parental figures in his life. It's a story of resiliency but also of how US American society fails it's most vulnerable. Children of Color are often objectified, vilified, and ultimately disregarded as children when no protective adult is present. This story is a challenge to the notion of "It takes a village to raise a child". Across this country there is an expectation that when children (especially non-White children in urban areas) are without a parent/guardian, it is then their responsibility to raise themselves and grow up to be productive members of society who pay bills, make good choices, and don't break the law. There is no guidance, there is no charity, only pressure from authority and a never-ending stream of predators. The sexual exploitation of minors is a behemoth of an issue on it's own, yet when combined with the willful ignorance and shortcomings of social systems, communities, and people we trust to protect and serve, it's a whole new category of human atrocity. I was angry and frustrated from beginning to end while reading this book. The Content Warnings could probably wrap around a building and while I don't really recommend this book outright, I do think it's a story that conveys a clear image of the shared experience of teenagers raising themselves the best they can because no one else is able/willing to step up and keep them safe. It's proof that Love, alone, is not enough when it comes to having children. As one mother says in this story, "I love my baby, but love don't fix the other shit".

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Police brutality, Trafficking, Grief, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Child death, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Murder

alisonannk'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? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cancer, Chronic illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Excrement, Trafficking, Stalking, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

rebeccamatthews's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad 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? It's complicated

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

syds_shelves's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I really fucking liked nightcrawling. it was so sad throughout that I took a 3 week break from reading it. I have two younger brothers so anything with a young boy that needs protecting is immediately gonna crack my heart open. The last 3 pages also beat me down in a way I wasn’t expecting BECAUSE the end wasn’t that bad? I’m not sure if i’ve been hearing too many folks say the ending really hurt them or what but… I feel like this reality is very true and near for a lot of black folks so I was not hurt or surprised more than I am by being black every day in a country that doesn’t give a shit about me. Maybe it’s all the open ends and “what happens to ___” that has left folks reeling but, again, cannot say. 

That aside, the book??? It felt like my emotions were getting jumped every single page. There was nearly no relief, but I couldn’t stop reading. I think this book is very similar stylistically to The Hate U Give (A lot of colorful background characters that aren’t fully fleshed out, a lot of strong values and beliefs presented from the author through the main character, and a deep love for where the characters come from. You can tell Leila has a deep love for Oakland) until it’s not. Some of this prose is for sure over written and flowery but fuck did it knock me out of my shoes. Because who would think to pair the blows of poverty, trafficking, and how generally deplorable police are with language like this.

There are other parts where I read and was like “yeah, this feels like a debut by a young author” in the kindest way. There is always room for growth, and I think this is also the unfortunate result of reading a heavily talked about Oprah/Booksta book. She’s made a fan of me and i’ll ABSOLUTELY be back for her next ones.

I get why this book was what it was, but personally I do wish it had more black joy. Take it or leave it, but there is so much misery and awfulness going on that I think you have black books for white folks and black books for black folks. The difference between The Help or a Tyler Perry production and a James Baldwin or Toni Morrison. Sad, but loving black folks vs sad and putting that on display for folks who don’t know black people irl, people who don’t watch the news, people who aren’t tapped in to politics, etc. This didn’t feel like the former, but it wasn’t quite at the ladder for me. A weird limbo. I think when writing truth to power for all these stories for and about black folks, I personally as a reader value something to pull your head above water.

The characters, I wanted to love but so many of them felt cut short just as i was beginning to know them. The really bad ones felt super hallow and like they were there to serve only a purpose and get you to the next few pages. This is where it can get hard to critique something based on a true story. Something that happens every day more gruesome than even described here. idk I guess all i’m saying is being black every day prepared me for this ending but not the things leading up to it. The book itself was very good, and I have high hopes for what will come next. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Trafficking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Classism

bookishpip's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense 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

5.0

This was such an amazing debut.

It’s about a young girl whose family are absent. Her father is dead, her mother in a halfway house and her brother unemployed and preoccupied with becoming a famous musician. On top of this there is a young boy in the flat below hers whose mother has a history of substance abuse and has left him to fend for himself. As the rent in her apartment block rises and there is nobody else to look after her and Trevor, she takes to the streets to keep a roof over their heads.

This book absolutely broke my heart and touched on so many important topics in some depth. These included police power and brutality - especially towards Black people and poor people. The fact that our protagonist was a Black, poor, 17 year old girl makes this story even more chilling - especially when you read the Author’s Note and see that this is loosely based on real stories. I was absolutely rooting for her the whole time; the stifling feeling of having no other choices and being vulnerable to danger was so pervasive.

Her life and events were portrayed with such clarity that I’d say this book provides an important dialogue for understanding the struggles of non-white people in relation to the myth of equality of opportunity, material deprivation and the knock-on effect of these things.

I would absolutely recommend this - but do look up trigger warnings first as there are some quite brutal parts. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Police brutality

Minor: Transphobia

caseythereader's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-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? Yes

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Trafficking, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail