Reviews with content warning for Rape - When I Hit You

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.

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iulia619's review

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challenging emotional sad fast-paced

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? It's complicated

4.5

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ruisquared's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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alexhaydon's review

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challenging dark reflective sad tense

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nreyno's review

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challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

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serendipitysbooks's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective medium-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? It's complicated

5.0

When I Hit You is a chilling, confronting, courageous and creative exploration of an abusive marriage, all the more so when you learn the author experienced an abusive marriage herself, although she is very clear that this is a work of fiction. I felt tense and angry the whole time I was reading, despite knowing from the beginning that the narrator fled and survived; fully immersed in something I have thankfully not experienced in real life. While parts of the story are specific to India, most of it is, sadly universal. The descriptions of abuse - everything from control, isolation, gaslighting, emotional abuse including self-harm, anger, threats of violence, plus actual physical and sexual violence - are almost dispassionate but that in no ways lessens their impact. I really appreciated Kandasamy highlighting the way society enabled and excused the abuser - her parents encouraged her to stay, people witnessed physical abuse but did not intervene, doctors should have asked questions but did not, police who blamed her, his university employer passed the buck. Domestic abuse is a societal problem and we all have a role to play in stopping it. The story is told in episodic vignettes, and doesn’t rely solely on standard narrative techniques. There’s a scene presented as a screenplay, political and philosophical analysis, plus transcripts and summaries of conversations. Repetition is used to great effect, creating a trapped, claustrophobic feeling. Sometimes the prose is clinical, other times poetic and lyrical; frequently it’s fierce. This is a book that blends the personal and the political, the immediate lived experience with the abstract and theoretical. It starkly show the realities of an abusive marriage including why and how a woman - even a middle class, intelligent and educated woman - could marry a man who would go on to abuse her, and why it is so difficult to leave such a marriage. This is very much the story of a survivor, not a victim. I found it to be incredibly powerful.

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vaniafernandez_'s review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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hattie's review against another edition

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challenging dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes

5.0

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