Scan barcode
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
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
_ash0_'s review
5.0
4.5 stars
Detailed review at my blog - Link to my blog article
This book should be made a must read for every single girl or woman in India and also the world. I had always heard about domestic violence but I never knew what it was like for the victim. Thanks to this brilliant eye-opening book, I now understand how abusive some men can be. I also wondered why women put up with abusive husbands for years together. I see women post about their abusive and miserable husbands on forums and groups so I was always puzzled why would it be so difficult for them to make a decision about leaving the husband.
Thanks to this book, I understand how women are broken down and manipulated by such abusive husbands and how difficult it is to escape from such a hell. It’s easy to say “just leave or fight” but very difficult to actually do something when you are in that position. What really stuck a chord with me was seeing how similar Meena’s story was with the story of one of my aunts, who had an abusive husband just like the one in this book. What made the life of my aunt even more miserable was having parents who did not support her. I always feel the parents who do not support their children when they are in distress should be slapped.
I hope this book ends up winning the women’s prize. The prose is beautiful and poetic. The narrative style was very different and I found it difficult to put the book down because of that. This was a much needed book, especially considering how horribly women and brides are still treated in India. She even brings up the topics about burning brides and rapes.
Detailed review at my blog - Link to my blog article
This book should be made a must read for every single girl or woman in India and also the world. I had always heard about domestic violence but I never knew what it was like for the victim. Thanks to this brilliant eye-opening book, I now understand how abusive some men can be. I also wondered why women put up with abusive husbands for years together. I see women post about their abusive and miserable husbands on forums and groups so I was always puzzled why would it be so difficult for them to make a decision about leaving the husband.
Thanks to this book, I understand how women are broken down and manipulated by such abusive husbands and how difficult it is to escape from such a hell. It’s easy to say “just leave or fight” but very difficult to actually do something when you are in that position. What really stuck a chord with me was seeing how similar Meena’s story was with the story of one of my aunts, who had an abusive husband just like the one in this book. What made the life of my aunt even more miserable was having parents who did not support her. I always feel the parents who do not support their children when they are in distress should be slapped.
I hope this book ends up winning the women’s prize. The prose is beautiful and poetic. The narrative style was very different and I found it difficult to put the book down because of that. This was a much needed book, especially considering how horribly women and brides are still treated in India. She even brings up the topics about burning brides and rapes.
meganaj's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
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
4.5
angeladobre's review against another edition
4.0
https://booknation.ro/recenzie-cand-te-lovesc-sau-portret-al-scriitoarei-ca-tanara-sotie-de-meena-kandasamy/