Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

The East Indian by Brinda Charry

3 reviews

david_brent's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense fast-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? No

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Physical abuse, Slavery, Rape, Trafficking, Colonisation, Addiction, Death, Kidnapping, and Racism

Moderate: Trafficking, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Child death, Sexual content, Death, Addiction, Bullying, Child abuse, and Violence

jtlars7's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful reflective 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? It's complicated

Good, but dark. The reading experience reminded me of Cold Mountain or The Law of Dreams. Even when something good happened I just kept waiting for the bad that would surely follow. It does provide a new-to-me perspective on early colonial VA.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Child death, Child abuse, Colonisation, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Murder, Pedophilia, Racism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Trafficking, and Violence

sirissacgluten's review against another edition

adventurous challenging reflective medium-paced

• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

The East Indian is a unique bildungsroman grounded in extensive historical research. Inspired by Titania's "little changeling boy" from A Midsummer Night's Dream and a American colonial record of a seventeenth-century man named Tony from [what was then called] East India, Charry's vivid novel tackles themes of race, class, solidarity, and identity. We follow Tony from his birthplace on India's Coromandel Coast to the rough frontier of colonial Virginia as he navigates the loneliness of life as an indeterminate 'Other' on the margins of English society. However, along with the violence and isolation Tony suffers, he also finds community among fellow indentured servants, a passion for healing, and a fondness for nature. Charry deftly balances the real-life injustices of the early 'New World' alongside moments of joy and introspection.

I really enjoyed this one. I would give it a 4/5 for personal enjoyment, but I'm bumping it up due to the amount of research you can feel in the narrative and the unique perspective that is much-needed in historical fiction.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Child death, Classism, Colonisation, Suicide, Racism, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Violence, Trafficking, and Slavery

Moderate: Sexual assault, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Medical content, Excrement, Classism, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Rape, Vomit, and Ableism