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vanesst's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Animal death, Deportation, Racism, Rape, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, War, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Abandonment, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Forced institutionalization, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, and Terminal illness
voxelbee's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Animal death, Alcoholism, Violence, Racism, Xenophobia, and Rape
Minor: Abandonment, Racial slurs, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, Classism, and Bullying
erica_palmisano's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Xenophobia, Rape, and Violence
Moderate: Alcoholism
Minor: Bullying and Injury/Injury detail
bodiesinbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Minor: Rape, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, and Animal cruelty
kclark's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
The way in which family saga is relayed is often a scene of Talia on her journey home, and then something triggers a memory of her family which then spins into a brief tangential story about a member of her family and often times will branch off a few more times into different vignettes which may last several chapters. This felt a bit messy while I was reading it, but by the time I reached the end of the novel and I reflected on the book as a whole, it worked for me.
The concept of Justice is central to this plot. Characters ability to react to unjust situations and dole out a version of justice is often restricted by their circumstances. We see how immigration status can disproportionately impact undocumented people and make them unable to access justice. We also see how one's personal justice and society's concept of what is just can often be at odds. Engel also explores how access to power skews the sense of justice.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. There were moments of beautiful prose that really struck me, but overall the book was not one of my favorites. In short, I liked it, but I did not love it.
Graphic: Sexual assault, Rape, Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, and Animal death
Moderate: Body horror, Dementia, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Confinement
_kathill's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Alcoholism
Moderate: Rape, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Animal cruelty, and Dementia
Minor: Suicidal thoughts