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reading_and_roaming20's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-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
I honestly don’t even know where to begin. Perhaps with a note to @fsgbooks to express how wildly grateful I am that they sent me this beautiful finished copy.
When I first read the synopsis, I was intrigued by the Filipino folklore and magical realism. I went in unsure of what to expect.
What I found was an unflinching, raw, difficult story of a girl who is faced with ugly, brutal circumstances. The story became more than the aswang’s mission to avenge Marina’s untimely death at the hands of a serial killer, and dove into an eye-opening social commentary on the child welfare system and missing women, particularly those of color.
I loved the alternating chapters of Marina’s journey to the time, place and person that ended her life and the aswang’s narrative. It felt as though MELISSA CHADBURN was holding my face in her hands, forcing me to keep looking at the scenes that unfolded in such a horrific way. It is natural to want to look away from such violence and heartbreak, but the trauma is not for shock value and has purpose. Brutal stories of so many women are represented in these pages and CHADBURN will not allow us to be willfully ignorant to them.
This is not to say that this book is nightmare through and through. CHADBURN’s unique writing drew me in and had its way of creating moments of tenderness and warmth. I look back on this book thinking about Marina’s sweetness and childhood innocence that were never entirely lost, even as her life eventually progressed to prostitution as a means of survival.
There was something special about the descriptions and storytelling that I can’t quite put into words. I simply adore CHADBURN’s writing style. I am blown away that this is a debut and will be thinking about it for a very, very long time.
TW / CW :: This book comes with a serious need to consider trigger and content warnings prior to consuming. Marina’s story is graphic and will not be for everyone. There are play-by-play accounts of r*pe, child abuse and drug use, among other potentially triggering topics. Please look into these further.
When I first read the synopsis, I was intrigued by the Filipino folklore and magical realism. I went in unsure of what to expect.
What I found was an unflinching, raw, difficult story of a girl who is faced with ugly, brutal circumstances. The story became more than the aswang’s mission to avenge Marina’s untimely death at the hands of a serial killer, and dove into an eye-opening social commentary on the child welfare system and missing women, particularly those of color.
I loved the alternating chapters of Marina’s journey to the time, place and person that ended her life and the aswang’s narrative. It felt as though MELISSA CHADBURN was holding my face in her hands, forcing me to keep looking at the scenes that unfolded in such a horrific way. It is natural to want to look away from such violence and heartbreak, but the trauma is not for shock value and has purpose. Brutal stories of so many women are represented in these pages and CHADBURN will not allow us to be willfully ignorant to them.
This is not to say that this book is nightmare through and through. CHADBURN’s unique writing drew me in and had its way of creating moments of tenderness and warmth. I look back on this book thinking about Marina’s sweetness and childhood innocence that were never entirely lost, even as her life eventually progressed to prostitution as a means of survival.
There was something special about the descriptions and storytelling that I can’t quite put into words. I simply adore CHADBURN’s writing style. I am blown away that this is a debut and will be thinking about it for a very, very long time.
TW / CW :: This book comes with a serious need to consider trigger and content warnings prior to consuming. Marina’s story is graphic and will not be for everyone. There are play-by-play accounts of r*pe, child abuse and drug use, among other potentially triggering topics. Please look into these further.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Drug use, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Abandonment, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, and Addiction
tyunka's review
dark
emotional
sad
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Pedophilia
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, and Abandonment
_shannoncarroll's review
dark
emotional
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
4.0
I made a mistake when I first picked up this book, and that was deciding I could read it while absolutely exhausted and waiting for the women’s Australian Open final to finally start (go, Ash Barty!). I decided I was being unfair to the story — this sounded exactly like the kind of book I’d love and deserved more than a half-awake reader — so I decided to give the book another go the next day with a fresh start. And I’m so, so glad I did, because this was a tremendous read. It’s a slow book that needs to be savored, not a book you can power through while your eyelids are demanding to close and your brain feels a bit fuzzy.
The storyline in this book is brilliant; threads are woven together elegantly. And all the (heartbreaking) happenings are talked about unflinchingly. It’s not an easy book to read, but it’s not meant to be. The topics covered here are hard, but they’re real. And the whisper of mythology in the background adds to a haunting sense — both by the aswang, a creature from Filipino folklore, and what’s happening to the characters inside these pages. Everything is rough and vulgar and falling apart, but it’s written about in such beautiful fashion, which almost makes what’s happening worse. It creates intricacies to the mundane.
As much as I was able to really get into the book, it still took me a little time to do so on my second start. Once I was about 15 percent of the way through, I found a rhythm, and some of the issues I was having with the writing no longer bothered me. In general, I think I had a love-hate relationship with some of the writing. (Well, maybe more like love-dislike.) There were times I was left stunned by Melissa Chadburn’s writing — its musicality, its boldness, its almost onomatopoeia-like energy — but there were other times I felt like I could skip two pages of prose and not really miss much of the story. Some brilliant writing felt bogged down by six other very good lines, which lessened some of the impact for me. It feels weird to say a book was overwrought with beautiful language and imagery, but this occasionally felt like the case.
This book is jam-packed with heart and longing, and the languid and descriptive writing does well to create an atmosphere that matches the plot. There’s an interesting sense of timelessness, which makes it clear that this book could really be written at any point in our history. These struggles are human and are happening all around us — and they’ll continue to do so with the broken societal structures in place. This is a heart-rending tale of life and all its ugliness, but it’s also a beautiful story of family and humanity.
Special thanks to NetGalley; Farrar, Straus and Giroux; and Melissa Chadburn for proving me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Sexual violence, Rape, Sexual assault, and Murder
Moderate: Drug use and Addiction
Minor: Eating disorder and Suicidal thoughts
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