Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

These Impossible Things by Salma El-Wardany

5 reviews

znvisser's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.75

My expectations for this were high based on the ratings and that is always a tricky challenge to make true. For me, this novel consisted of two parts and the second half was definitely better. 

The book starts out quite dialogue-heavy and at times it even felt like five year old twitter discourse in a novel. And - despite the obvious reasons for it which were in fact interesting and well-thought out - I felt Malak and Kees were too similar for too long (kept forgetting which details and man belonged to which woman) and their boyfriends were even harder to distinguish; in contrast, Jenna’s character stood out way more from the start, despite her more limited “screentime”. But while Malak and Kees’ stories do bounce off each other and dance together, Jenna is fairly seperated from them and mostly appearing as vehicle for some extra themes and subplots. Later on she is worked better into the overall story, but it still felt slightly disjointed and I feel she could’ve added more to this if the author were less busy drawing parallels. 

Nevertheless, emotionally it picks up in the second half and that is where this story shines all along: the fights are often unhinged and always heartbreaking, and although mostly shown in glimpses, I loved the sibling relationships, and also the little pieces within chapters where we zoom out from the three friends and an omniscient narrator reveals a new emotional layer. Because of these strengths, this really was a a promising debut, making me curious to see what El-Wardany will come up with next.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Abandonment, Physical abuse, Rape, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Abortion

Moderate: Alcohol, Pregnancy, and Sexual content

Minor: Islamophobia

katrinarose's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This was such a nuanced heartfelt book about friendship, family, religion, and finding yourself. I think this book has excellent representation for Muslim women diaspora and would hit extra hard for these readers. I really liked all the characters, they were all unique and well developed. However for a book sold on female friendship, it was disappointing that the majority of the book they were not friends. I understand that drove home the point of the book in the end and it was really impactful, but I missed the friendship. Also, this book was so sad; I almost cried several times. Overall would recommend if you like sad books with these themes.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Rape, Sexism, Abortion, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Eating disorder, Grief, Alcohol, Medical content, Misogyny, War, and Violence

Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Body shaming, Vomit, and Classism

blubbflubbl's review

challenging dark emotional sad 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? Yes

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Sexual content, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, and Abortion

20sidedbi's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

Absolutely brilliantly beautiful. A powerful reflection on friendship, love, and faith - all explored with a depth and consideration I'm not used to in books. Definitely check the content warnings before reading, but know that it's all handled really well and none of it is gratuitous.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Rape, Abortion, and Misogyny

kaseybereading's review

challenging emotional funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Abortion, Sexual content, and Rape