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thebowandthebook's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Suicide, Death of parent, and Classism
Moderate: Alcoholism, Cursing, Gun violence, Infidelity, Racism, and Sexual content
Minor: Eating disorder, Incest, and Infertility
qqjj's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Incest, Racism, Suicide, Terminal illness, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
bealmg's review
- 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
4.0
Apartheid has fallen, see, we die right next to each other now, in intimate proximity. It's just the living part we still have to work out.
I also really enjoyed the complicated and messy family dynamics and how the characters interacted with one another, often leaving more things unsaid than said; it is up to us, the reader, to join the pieces of the puzzle and to interpret their silences.
However, I wished we had seen more of Salome and her son Lukas. Perhaps that was on purpose - after all, this is a story about South Africa and the post-Apartheid promises that were never really fulfilled. Still, I would have liked to know more about these two characters and I would have liked to see a deeper exploration of racial relations in post-Apartheid South Africa.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Cancer, Suicide, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Racism and Gaslighting
joewooley's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Moderate: Alcoholism and Suicide
candournat's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
It’s beautifully written and full of metaphor but there was just something missing for me
Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Racism, Slavery, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, War, and Classism
Moderate: Alcoholism, Chronic illness, and Suicide
amyford's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Death of parent
Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Eating disorder, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Terminal illness, Violence, Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
jhartsoe's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Gun violence, Racism, Suicide, Death of parent, and Colonisation
Minor: Eating disorder
ladymirtazapine's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Confinement, Eating disorder, Gun violence, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Racism, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Excrement, Vomit, Antisemitism, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
narpetcards's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Alcoholism
Moderate: Death, Eating disorder, Gun violence, Infertility, Infidelity, Grief, and Death of parent
emmagrace's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Alcoholism, Infidelity, Racism, Suicide, Grief, Death of parent, and Colonisation
Minor: Cancer, Eating disorder, and Infertility