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thatchickengirl23's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Death, Grief, Child death, Homophobia, Hate crime, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Death of parent, Body shaming, Bullying, Outing, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, and Sexual content
Moderate: Medical trauma, Abandonment, Incest, Pedophilia, Sexism, Misogyny, and Alcohol
Minor: Colonisation, Xenophobia, and Racism
olivexgreen's review
dark
emotional
tense
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Rape, and Police brutality
maxierosalee's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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? Yes
3.75
3.75/5
Please note that this is a book that covers many triggering topics. I've done my best to list all of them accurately.
This is more of an expression of my thoughts than an actual review.
This is definitely not the kind of book that I usually read. I read it on a whim; it was part of a fiction sampler I was reading, and I kept becoming curious about what happened next.
I feel like I mostly suffer from not being the kind of person who usually reads these kinds of books? It's a coming-of-age story about a boy struggling with his sexuality and feminity in 1990s India, where LGBTQ+ behavior is outlawed. It details the main character growing up with their family, going through boarding school, joining the circus, and falling in love with another man. I don't consider this plot outline too much of a spoiler, because for these kinds of books, these kinds of settings are only a small portion of the story. The real meat of the story is the trials and tribulations of the main character, his emotional trauma, and his journey throughout. There are a lot of events in the book that seem more symbolic than anything else.
This is an emotionally heavy book, and some parts affected me heavily, especially regarding his family relationships. There were a few parts that I skimmed when I began to get bored of it when it seemed too repetitive with what the conflict was. But the parts that got me hooked (will not say due to spoilers) kept me going. This wasn't a book I wanted to put down or considered leaving unfinished when I got to the parts that hooked me and kept my interest. And I feel like a book that has me thinking about it and considering it after I've finished and put it down has done a good job of making an impression on me.
The reason it's not a full 3.75 stars is mostly due to some repetitive parts where I was losing some of my interest. Some of the narrative threads felt like they wandered a bit to me with not a lot of connection, almost like a train of thought that kind of goes on without being reigned in. It wasn't a steady ride throughout my reading of it; I had highs and lows as I was going through it. But it's an emotionally devastating book, equal parts tragic and beautiful, and I'm glad I took the random chance to read it.
Please note that this is a book that covers many triggering topics. I've done my best to list all of them accurately.
This is more of an expression of my thoughts than an actual review.
This is definitely not the kind of book that I usually read. I read it on a whim; it was part of a fiction sampler I was reading, and I kept becoming curious about what happened next.
I feel like I mostly suffer from not being the kind of person who usually reads these kinds of books? It's a coming-of-age story about a boy struggling with his sexuality and feminity in 1990s India, where LGBTQ+ behavior is outlawed. It details the main character growing up with their family, going through boarding school, joining the circus, and falling in love with another man. I don't consider this plot outline too much of a spoiler, because for these kinds of books, these kinds of settings are only a small portion of the story. The real meat of the story is the trials and tribulations of the main character, his emotional trauma, and his journey throughout. There are a lot of events in the book that seem more symbolic than anything else.
This is an emotionally heavy book, and some parts affected me heavily, especially regarding his family relationships. There were a few parts that I skimmed when I began to get bored of it when it seemed too repetitive with what the conflict was. But the parts that got me hooked (will not say due to spoilers) kept me going. This wasn't a book I wanted to put down or considered leaving unfinished when I got to the parts that hooked me and kept my interest. And I feel like a book that has me thinking about it and considering it after I've finished and put it down has done a good job of making an impression on me.
The reason it's not a full 3.75 stars is mostly due to some repetitive parts where I was losing some of my interest. Some of the narrative threads felt like they wandered a bit to me with not a lot of connection, almost like a train of thought that kind of goes on without being reigned in. It wasn't a steady ride throughout my reading of it; I had highs and lows as I was going through it. But it's an emotionally devastating book, equal parts tragic and beautiful, and I'm glad I took the random chance to read it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Toxic friendship, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Homophobia, Rape, Hate crime, Body shaming, and Bullying
Moderate: Death of parent, Child death, Emotional abuse, and Child abuse
Minor: Police brutality
More potentially triggering things below (please note that this is a pretty big spoiler in the later portion of the book near the end)dimcmill'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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Torture, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, Medical trauma, Rape, and Fatphobia
penguin00000006's review
emotional
reflective
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Homophobia, Rape, Sexual harassment, and Body shaming
Moderate: Misogyny and Death of parent
Minor: Incest and Pedophilia
skitch41's review
challenging
dark
emotional
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Rape, Sexual content, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Child abuse
chemicallykat's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Thank you to Macmillan for the audio ARC!
I'm conflicted about how to rate this... so I'm going with a 3. This isn't bad - it just didn't work for me, and the MULTIPLE graphic sexual assault scenes were difficult to handle. I found them to be incredibly jarring. I really think this book could have used a content warning because I was wildly unprepared. I almost dnf'd for this reason. If I had known going in this wouldn't have been as much of an issue because I could have prepared myself properly. This probably would have been a 4 star for me without the repetitive graphic SA scenes.
The narrator had a good tone and pace and I felt his voice really fit the story. I enjoyed the cultural aspects of this book. I did genuinely feel for Shagun at multiple points, so I was somewhat invested.
This is a coming-of-age story set in the past centered around a queer man who is struggling to find his place in the world. There is a lot of sexual assault and trauma here... which may be realistic (I wouldn't know), but I was really thrown every time it happened.
This is a valuable story, but it won't be for everyone. This book covers a lot of nuanced topics such as finding your identity, feeling like an outcast amongst your peers, and dealing with abuse and homophobia. There are very complicated relationships in this novel - in particular, the relationship between Shagun and his parents is very complex and interesting.
I don't love how everything was handled, but I do think it was somewhat realistic. The conflicting emotions were done well. I just personally don't like this idea that people who harm you should be forgiven, even at great personal cost. I would literally never forgive someone for SA'ing me. I would never think of them fondly again.
The end of this novel was somewhat satisfying, at least compared to the rest of the book. It wasn't as depressing as the rest.
There are people that will enjoy and find value in this book, but I wouldn't recommend this to everyone. I haven't read "A Little Life" but based on what I know about it, it's somewhat similar to this book. This is not a happy, lighthearted novel. This is about trauma and making a place in the world.
I'm conflicted about how to rate this... so I'm going with a 3. This isn't bad - it just didn't work for me, and the MULTIPLE graphic sexual assault scenes were difficult to handle. I found them to be incredibly jarring. I really think this book could have used a content warning because I was wildly unprepared. I almost dnf'd for this reason. If I had known going in this wouldn't have been as much of an issue because I could have prepared myself properly. This probably would have been a 4 star for me without the repetitive graphic SA scenes.
The narrator had a good tone and pace and I felt his voice really fit the story. I enjoyed the cultural aspects of this book. I did genuinely feel for Shagun at multiple points, so I was somewhat invested.
This is a coming-of-age story set in the past centered around a queer man who is struggling to find his place in the world. There is a lot of sexual assault and trauma here... which may be realistic (I wouldn't know), but I was really thrown every time it happened.
This is a valuable story, but it won't be for everyone. This book covers a lot of nuanced topics such as finding your identity, feeling like an outcast amongst your peers, and dealing with abuse and homophobia. There are very complicated relationships in this novel - in particular, the relationship between Shagun and his parents is very complex and interesting.
I don't love how everything was handled, but I do think it was somewhat realistic. The conflicting emotions were done well. I just personally don't like this idea that people who harm you should be forgiven, even at great personal cost. I would literally never forgive someone for SA'ing me. I would never think of them fondly again.
The end of this novel was somewhat satisfying, at least compared to the rest of the book. It wasn't as depressing as the rest.
There are people that will enjoy and find value in this book, but I wouldn't recommend this to everyone. I haven't read "A Little Life" but based on what I know about it, it's somewhat similar to this book. This is not a happy, lighthearted novel. This is about trauma and making a place in the world.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Homophobia, Death of parent, Sexual violence, Outing, and Sexual harassment
danscoada's review against another edition
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
4.0
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC before publication.
Shastri Akella's The Sea Elephants follows a young man named Shagun during his most pivotal development years. We see his rocky relationship with his absent father, grief after his twin sisters tragically pass away, Shagun grappling with his sexuality both mentally and physically, and finding romantic and platonic true love. The novel is set in India in the late 1980s to 1990s, and Akella does a fantastic job of incorporating Indian mythology, culture, and sociopolitical issues into this very personal novel.
What I enjoyed most about The Sea Elephants were the relationships that Shagun found for himself. His fellow actors were entertaining and had Shagun's back no matter the circumstances. Marc, mostly, was a swoon-worthy love interest, and his warmhearted friends adopted Shagun so easily. Typical of Indian culture, Shagun's father tries to arrange for him to marry a young woman. Luckily for both of them, neither actually plan on marrying the other and from there another lovely friendship is made.
Parts of The Sea Elephants, especially in the middle, were a bit of a drag; so much so that I often didn't feel motivated to pick it up. For a novel of this length, it took me longer than usual to read. However, this is not a book intended to be devoured at a rapid pace. It reads best when you take your time and take in the mythical stories and atmosphere.
From what I can find, Akella was born in a small Indian town but eventually immigrated to the United States. The Sea Elephants is not a translated work, but at times it feels as though it is. I particularly had an issue with the characters' dialogue throughout. I either found some conversations to feel not entirely natural or simply just confusing. At one point towards the end I had to reread a conversation three times to decipher who said what and also why - their remarks seemed out of left field. Of course, I may have a different opinion of the final published work, but for now the dialogue was the weak link in an otherwise beautifully written novel.
I believe The Sea Elephants has the makings of becoming an important novel in the LGBTQIA+ literary canon. I haven't heard any buzz surrounding it, and at the time of writing this review it publishes in just over a week. I would confidently give this book my recommendation.
Shastri Akella's The Sea Elephants follows a young man named Shagun during his most pivotal development years. We see his rocky relationship with his absent father, grief after his twin sisters tragically pass away, Shagun grappling with his sexuality both mentally and physically, and finding romantic and platonic true love. The novel is set in India in the late 1980s to 1990s, and Akella does a fantastic job of incorporating Indian mythology, culture, and sociopolitical issues into this very personal novel.
What I enjoyed most about The Sea Elephants were the relationships that Shagun found for himself. His fellow actors were entertaining and had Shagun's back no matter the circumstances. Marc, mostly, was a swoon-worthy love interest, and his warmhearted friends adopted Shagun so easily. Typical of Indian culture, Shagun's father tries to arrange for him to marry a young woman. Luckily for both of them, neither actually plan on marrying the other and from there another lovely friendship is made.
Parts of The Sea Elephants, especially in the middle, were a bit of a drag; so much so that I often didn't feel motivated to pick it up. For a novel of this length, it took me longer than usual to read. However, this is not a book intended to be devoured at a rapid pace. It reads best when you take your time and take in the mythical stories and atmosphere.
From what I can find, Akella was born in a small Indian town but eventually immigrated to the United States. The Sea Elephants is not a translated work, but at times it feels as though it is. I particularly had an issue with the characters' dialogue throughout. I either found some conversations to feel not entirely natural or simply just confusing. At one point towards the end I had to reread a conversation three times to decipher who said what and also why - their remarks seemed out of left field. Of course, I may have a different opinion of the final published work, but for now the dialogue was the weak link in an otherwise beautifully written novel.
I believe The Sea Elephants has the makings of becoming an important novel in the LGBTQIA+ literary canon. I haven't heard any buzz surrounding it, and at the time of writing this review it publishes in just over a week. I would confidently give this book my recommendation.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality, Child death, Homophobia, Grief, Sexual assault, Violence, and Classism
Moderate: Body shaming and Death of parent
Minor: Outing, Fatphobia, Self harm, Rape, and Drug use
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