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_changingtime's review against another edition
5.0
Meena Kandasamy's unflinching and raw look at an educated woman being the victim of domestic violence is a sight to be beheld. Emotional, hard-hitting and even a little funny at times, I can't imagine that I am the only one who believes that this should have won the Women's Prize for Fiction. Either way, it is a book that I won't be forgetting anytime soon and one that I cannot help but press into the hands of everyone that I meet.
sugarpopreads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Domestic abuse, and Sexual violence
shuvraaa's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
twitchywitchy314's review against another edition
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? No
5.0
a heart-wrenching expression of the fear & pain of feeling stuck and alone in an abusive relationship
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Rape
Moderate: Gaslighting
snowyeti's review against another edition
challenging
dark
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
sigridjacobs's review against another edition
5.0
I honestly don't know what to say. Please read this book.
sam_bizar_wilcox's review against another edition
5.0
This book is harrowing and horrifying. This is a book that I wanted to end almost immediately after I started. This is a book that I cannot recommend to every reader for the sake of its content.
And this book is amazing. Meena Kandasamy is one of the most brilliant writers of her era, and this book stands out as a masterpiece of socially conscious, critically informed fiction writing. She is a rebel, and her weapons are sharp observations. While I wanted the book (detailing a woman's suffering in an abusive marriage) to end, my ebook is now riddled with bookmarks to highlight passages where Kandasamy writes - in plain language - observations that resonate beyond the confines of the book (I'll have to go through and record them before I return the book to the library). Citing feminist scholars throughout the novel, When I Hit You often reads as if a work of French feminist theory. Yet it is always grounded in the narration of the protagonist; the work of theory never upends the work of fiction.
Kandasamy has written a Kunstlerroman imbued with ferocious creative energy. It is at once a post-colonial treatise, a feminist manifesto, and, most importantly, an intimate character study. A book to be endured, but a book to defiantly return to.
And this book is amazing. Meena Kandasamy is one of the most brilliant writers of her era, and this book stands out as a masterpiece of socially conscious, critically informed fiction writing. She is a rebel, and her weapons are sharp observations. While I wanted the book (detailing a woman's suffering in an abusive marriage) to end, my ebook is now riddled with bookmarks to highlight passages where Kandasamy writes - in plain language - observations that resonate beyond the confines of the book (I'll have to go through and record them before I return the book to the library). Citing feminist scholars throughout the novel, When I Hit You often reads as if a work of French feminist theory. Yet it is always grounded in the narration of the protagonist; the work of theory never upends the work of fiction.
Kandasamy has written a Kunstlerroman imbued with ferocious creative energy. It is at once a post-colonial treatise, a feminist manifesto, and, most importantly, an intimate character study. A book to be endured, but a book to defiantly return to.
missmethven's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.0
So much potential with this book but I was so disappointed! To be honest, everywhere I’ve seen this book described or had recommended to me, there was never a mention of the essay or diary type writing style which I didn’t enjoy throughout. That element isn’t a negative thing usually but I didn’t feel it had flow and couldn’t get into the book in part because of it.
The same goes for the chronology - or lack thereof - and jumpy narrative throughout, which stagnated the flow which there really wasn’t much of.
The writing is beautiful, poetic and lyrical with some really really great bits. Not to mention the detail of everything she experienced, it was harrowing and graphic - I have so much respect for the author. It also shone a light on Indian culture and the acceptance of domestic violence on a larger scale than in the west.
I’m gutted I didn’t enjoy this one more, there is so much potential but despite my feminism, the subject matter and content within the pages, the style of writing just wasn’t for me and ultimately stopped me from enjoying it as a whole.
The same goes for the chronology - or lack thereof - and jumpy narrative throughout, which stagnated the flow which there really wasn’t much of.
The writing is beautiful, poetic and lyrical with some really really great bits. Not to mention the detail of everything she experienced, it was harrowing and graphic - I have so much respect for the author. It also shone a light on Indian culture and the acceptance of domestic violence on a larger scale than in the west.
I’m gutted I didn’t enjoy this one more, there is so much potential but despite my feminism, the subject matter and content within the pages, the style of writing just wasn’t for me and ultimately stopped me from enjoying it as a whole.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Rape, and Sexual violence