Reviews tagging 'Murder'

Mornings in Jenin by Susan Abulhawa

25 reviews

kimschouwenaar's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Expect to finish this book sobbing.

Woah. And I mean that in every sense of the expression. This multi-generational story about a Palestinian family grabs you by the throat, nails digging in, and does not relent. I expect it to retain its hold on me for months to come. Abulhawa takes you by the hand and leads you through history and grief, leads you through the relentless suffering of Palestinians, and does not hold back.

Each chapter I was left questioning Can this really happen? Can a people be this ruthless and arrogant to believe they have the rights to invade a country and act like they are the only victims?

Yes. In fact, it is happening and has been happening for decades. We need to stop trying to justify genocide. The safety of one people should not come at the cost of another country and culture.

"The roots of out grief coil so deeply into loss that death has come to live with us like a family member who makes you happy by avoiding you, but who is still one of the family. Our anger is a rage that Westerners cannot understand. Our sadness can make the stones weep. And the way we love is no exception, Amal."

It's a tough read, but I strongly believe it's one that we should all know. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Violence, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, War, Xenophobia, Genocide, Murder, Death, Death of parent, Confinement, and Grief

Moderate: Kidnapping and Racism

Minor: Dementia, Deportation, Alcoholism, Antisemitism, Islamophobia, and Pedophilia

careinthelibrary's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

The network of pain throughout this family, each responding in a different way to dispossession (of land, of culture, of family) and death. Mornings in Jenin is a gruelling read that made my heart ache and never let up, even to the last page. But it's also full of tender moments between these loving and hopeful characters and beautiful writing that gives a sweet reprieve from the dark. Careful, considered language that makes the ache of losses deeper and more impactful.
A truly outstanding debut, I will continue my journey through Susan Abulhawa's writing knowing I'm in the hands of a talented author. I'm struck by the years of apartheid covered in this novel and its echoes in the present day genocide of Gazans and continued oppression of Palestinians in their homelands and beyond. Free Palestine.

"Love, David
... Love, Ismael"💔🇵🇸

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Pregnancy, Colonisation, Grief, Gun violence, Violence, Death, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Genocide, Islamophobia, Mass/school shootings, Injury/Injury detail, and War

Moderate: Child death, Blood, Addiction, Alcoholism, Sexual violence, Torture, and Sexual assault

cerilouisereads's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Death of parent, Torture, Mental illness, Death, Kidnapping, Genocide, Child death, and War

poisoned_icecream's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Colonisation, Gun violence, Child death, Genocide, Racial slurs, Death of parent, Racism, Animal death, and Murder

morybaby's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Sexual violence, Torture, Child death, Death of parent, Murder, Hate crime, War, Violence, Death, Genocide, Islamophobia, and Religious bigotry

nineinchnails's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

 this book broke me. this was definitely hard to get through at some parts, knowing it was first published in 2006, because despite it being 2023 almost nothing has changed. this is technically historical fiction but so much of this has been written around real life events in palestine and even if the characters are fictional their trauma isn't. the story is beautifully written (albeit slightly confusing with the switching of narrator) and gut-wrenchingly painful. it follows the lives of 4 generations within a single family against the backdrop of 1948-2002 palestine.

it feels weird to rate this book like i would other fiction novels, since many of these fictional events are recurring as we speak. what i will say is that anyone even slightly interested in learning about palestine stands to gain a lot from reading this book. while it is definitely heavy and dark, it shows so much beauty in the land and culture too. the story switches hands between characters a fair amount here but i think it works in its favour and is necessary to tell this particular story. i don't think anything i write here could do this book justice but i loved this book from front to cover and i don't think the contents will ever leave my mind. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, War, Colonisation, Islamophobia, Grief, Genocide, Gun violence, Racism, Police brutality, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Child death, Gore, Animal death, Religious bigotry, Mental illness, Hate crime, and Mass/school shootings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Sexism, Sexual content, Dementia, Blood, Confinement, Pregnancy, Kidnapping, Antisemitism, and Torture

Minor: Incest, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Miscarriage, and Rape

liannaengland's review against another edition

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Xenophobia, Child death, Death, Rape, Animal death, Torture, Racism, Murder, Islamophobia, and Violence

readwmichelle's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Colonisation, Death, Child death, Islamophobia, Genocide, Grief, Murder, Violence, Police brutality, and War

Moderate: Alcoholism, Torture, Gun violence, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Sexual violence, Child abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, and Rape

nodogsonthemoon's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Genocide, Racism, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Gun violence, Islamophobia, Murder, Pregnancy, Death of parent, Child death, Death, Religious bigotry, and War

Moderate: Kidnapping, Antisemitism, Child abuse, Dementia, Violence, Rape, and Police brutality

rina_reads's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I was left crying, numb and empty after reading this book. Where do I begin? I knew it was going to be hear-wrenching and I knew that I will feel certain kind of sadness so it was hard for me to start this book and it was hard for me to finish. It has taken me over a month to complete. At one point, I broke down crying at a part when the main character couldn't cry. The story wasn't blaming one side. It was confusing and deeply painful. The question I was asking myself was How did people let this happen? How is it still happening? And that hurts the most when reading the book, knowing that Palestine is still under siege.
When reading the blurb of the book, I assumed the book would be a dual story line of the Palestinian family and the Israeli family but instead we are following Amal and her connection to everything - her heritage, her womanhood, her relationships, her hopes/dreams - are all shaped by ever-changing landscape of Palestine. I admired the descriptive language in this book when it came to describing the inherent love between the Palestinians and their land. There's a strong sense of history, heritage and ownership that is just torn apart but it's still home to Amal when she returns.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Blood, Death, Xenophobia, and Genocide

There are some graphic parts of the book that will be hard to digest and will make you uncomfortable but it's the reality and it hurts.