Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

A Tiny Upward Shove by Melissa Chadburn

5 reviews

bodybeingsoulstl's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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

5.0

while a book of fiction, the book is based on some real events surrounding serial rapist and murder, Robert William Pickton… and if you know anything about the terrible acts this man has committed, you will know what kind of book you are stepping into.

Please read the trigger warnings, this book discusses challenging topics around abuse of children, systemic racism, drugs, sexual assault/rape, and domestic abuse. 

 

You might like this book, if you...
... are interested in paranormal folklore
... like a touch of realism in your thrillers
... believe in fate (but maybe not the romance kind)

As a person who enjoys the paranormal, I was intrigued by the Filipino folklore of aswang. While I did not anticipate the heaviness + seriousness this book contained, it drove me to consider and think about the larger systems at play that impact our people daily (not in an effective or supportive way) and how one entity (by chance or maybe fate) can bring some justice to the cruelties of the world. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Drug use, Body horror, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Violence, Addiction, Murder, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, and Abandonment

fbzcab's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Addiction, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

juniperbranches's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Child death, Confinement, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Drug abuse, Sexual assault, Blood, Domestic abuse, Abandonment, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, and Racism

frogggirl2's review

dark sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book is a beautifully written depiction of some of the most horrendous things that happen in the world.  It's nauseating in it's depiction of the abuse, rape and murder of women and children.  Somehow, it still manages to find some optimism, which is miraculous.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Torture, Child abuse, Sexism, Slavery, Addiction, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Trafficking, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, and Sexual violence

laurarevelesg's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

2.5

"You're luckier than me, Jessie said, as if she were reading her mind.
Why? I miss my dad too.
Yes, but there's just too many ways to miss your mother. There's like a hundred thousand ways"

Me tomó 4 meses leer esta novela porque cada cierto tiempo tenía que dejarla debido a la dureza de sus temas. Ahora que la terminé, solo puedo decir que tengo sentimientos encontrados.
La protagonista, Marina, sufre de todo tipo de violencia. Leer sobre esto, tragedia tras tragedia, fue exhaustivo. Sin embargo, esto no quiere decir que la historia de Marina, así como la de otras mujeres (ficticias y reales) no sea importante o no deba ser contada.
Las notas de autor finales dan nuevos ojos para apreciar la novela, por eso, a pesar de que el "trayecto" fue duro, y pocas veces disfrutable, regresar a la novela da una sensación agridulce, pues es tan cruel como bella.
Algo que no disfruté fue la intercalación entre los capítulos y la narración del aswang. Me ppareció que me distraía más de lo que verdaderamente guiaba la historia. Además, como había capítulos muy largos, al llegar a la parte del aswang ya no recordaba muy bien todo lo que había sucedido anteriormente. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Child abuse, Classism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Gaslighting, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Death, Abandonment, Blood, Domestic abuse, Rape, Violence, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Sexual violence