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3.29 AVERAGE
3.29 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Rape, Trafficking, Religious bigotry, War
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
challenging
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Kidnapping
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Pregnancy
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I definitely believe that if you have never looked into the stories of what happened to the schoolgirls taken by Boko Haram then this book is an okay place to start to educate yourself. However, for detailed, real information and real-world accounts, I would recommend finding a non-fiction book, reports by journalists or biographies by the people who suffered first hand in this situation.
The book itself reads a little clumsy, a lot happens in the space of two hundred pages and though I was devastated to read some of the things these girls had to suffer through, I never really connected with the main character. We spend the book speeding through all the different parts of her journey/experience that we don't really get the time to connect with her or her companions.
Sometimes it feels the writing is aimed at a young audience, other times at a completely different one. At points, it reads like a factual retelling of an actual account by one of the girls (especially at the very beginning) but then reads as if it is just an imagined story about a young girl on an adventure. Overall leaving the story feeling quite jarring and hard to focus on. I ended up finishing the book solely because I wanted to know what sort of things could also happen to these girls not because I cared for that particular story.
O'Brien details where she gained her information at the very end of the book, claiming she talked to some of the schoolgirls, travelled the country and spoke to people with real information on what happened, the culture and life you can live whilst there, however, I can't shake the feeling that a white author from Ireland (no matter how well her intent) should really be educating people on the subject, let alone profiting off of their hardships.
The book itself reads a little clumsy, a lot happens in the space of two hundred pages and though I was devastated to read some of the things these girls had to suffer through, I never really connected with the main character. We spend the book speeding through all the different parts of her journey/experience that we don't really get the time to connect with her or her companions.
Sometimes it feels the writing is aimed at a young audience, other times at a completely different one. At points, it reads like a factual retelling of an actual account by one of the girls (especially at the very beginning) but then reads as if it is just an imagined story about a young girl on an adventure. Overall leaving the story feeling quite jarring and hard to focus on. I ended up finishing the book solely because I wanted to know what sort of things could also happen to these girls not because I cared for that particular story.
O'Brien details where she gained her information at the very end of the book, claiming she talked to some of the schoolgirls, travelled the country and spoke to people with real information on what happened, the culture and life you can live whilst there, however, I can't shake the feeling that a white author from Ireland (no matter how well her intent) should really be educating people on the subject, let alone profiting off of their hardships.
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Islamophobia, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, War
Some of you know that I read depressing books and that I'm not really into "feel good" stories. Yes, it's true. To me, a writer's job is to step into his/her characters' shoes and to live through them. In this heartbreaking novel, Edna O'Brien does it in the most profound and empathetic way.