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Reviews tagging 'Racism'
The Things She's Seen by Ezekiel Kwaymullina, Ambelin Kwaymullina
21 reviews
careinthelibrary's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
I finished The Things She's Seen (known as Catching Teller Crow in some countries) by Ambelin and Ezekiel Kwaymullina today. It's one I've owned for a while and finally got around to it.
On the surface it's a YA ghost story and mystery, but there is so much bubbling under the surface here. The "enduring strength of Aboriginal women and girls" despite facing disproportionate, horrific violence, the direct and indirect impacts of the Stolen Generations which I want to learn more about, ancient storytelling of Aboriginal peoples. A ghost story, a crime thriller, found sisterhood, father-daughter growing their relationship beyond the barrier of death.
It's a lot wrapped up in a short, fast novel. This hits the ground running and the pace rarely lets up. Its wide array of genres and themes makes me think it would appeal to a lot of different kinds of readers. I wish it had a more striking cover that captured the themes and tone of the book better.
Death is only the beginning. And the end is the beginning that hasn't happened yet.
On the surface it's a YA ghost story and mystery, but there is so much bubbling under the surface here. The "enduring strength of Aboriginal women and girls" despite facing disproportionate, horrific violence, the direct and indirect impacts of the Stolen Generations which I want to learn more about, ancient storytelling of Aboriginal peoples. A ghost story, a crime thriller, found sisterhood, father-daughter growing their relationship beyond the barrier of death.
It's a lot wrapped up in a short, fast novel. This hits the ground running and the pace rarely lets up. Its wide array of genres and themes makes me think it would appeal to a lot of different kinds of readers. I wish it had a more striking cover that captured the themes and tone of the book better.
Death is only the beginning. And the end is the beginning that hasn't happened yet.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Colonisation, Rape, Murder, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Child death, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Death, Confinement, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Death of parent, Car accident, and Racism
binreads's review against another edition
hopeful
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Solid read, wasn’t exactly what I was expecting. It could’ve honestly been so much longer so that the story could have had more space to grow.
It took me until Catching’s last few chapters that I realized what had happened, and what her stories truly meant. I was just reading to read, I normally don’t do well with poetry stanza type of writing. I found myself not really processing the words I was reading, kept zoning out and having to go back to re-read. Silly me didn’t think too much into the Catching stories until the very end where I was like….wait is this what I think it is.
I like the delicate way they approached this story. I definitely want to go back and skim what I didn’t pick up on the first time.
I like the delicate way they approached this story. I definitely want to go back and skim what I didn’t pick up on the first time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Murder, Child death, and Racism
Moderate: Car accident, Body horror, and Child abuse
Minor: Kidnapping
gattolinos_nerdy_nook's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
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
4.5
This story is one that has stayed with me after finishing it. It might not be a long book but it spends every page crafting an impactful story.
This books mainly focuses on grief and coming to terms with loss. This is done through a few characters that we met through out the book, but the main being Beth Teller's father. The book deals with grief and loss through a case that Beth's father is trying to solve. It is also through this case that the author shows the discrimination against Australian Aboriginals endure. From cold cases of missing young aboriginal girls, how they are taken advantage of, and the racisms that is present through the country.
I thought this is a well crafted book and something that will keep you thinking long after you have finished. I highly recommend this read for the story and the characters that go through very real emotions and reactions to everything.
This books mainly focuses on grief and coming to terms with loss. This is done through a few characters that we met through out the book, but the main being Beth Teller's father. The book deals with grief and loss through a case that Beth's father is trying to solve. It is also through this case that the author shows the discrimination against Australian Aboriginals endure. From cold cases of missing young aboriginal girls, how they are taken advantage of, and the racisms that is present through the country.
I thought this is a well crafted book and something that will keep you thinking long after you have finished. I highly recommend this read for the story and the characters that go through very real emotions and reactions to everything.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Sexual violence, and Grief
Moderate: Physical abuse, Racism, and Death
Minor: Death of parent
emily_mh's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
The mystery storyline of this book was great and kept the plot moving, but I also loved that the mystery wasn’t the point of the book. Its significance lay in its exposure of the brutality of colonisation, and its beautiful and heartbreaking exploration of grief.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Colonisation, Child abuse, Death, Grief, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Confinement, Violence, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Racism, Gore, Body horror, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, Medical content, Drug use, Abandonment, Physical abuse, Ableism, Bullying, Police brutality, Forced institutionalization, and Self harm
Colourism, the Stolen Generations, police corruptionjustmeandmybooks's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, and Grief
Moderate: Kidnapping, Murder, and Racism
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Addiction, Drug use, and Rape
viccro's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
3.75
I didn't put all the pieces together until they were revealed, but it wasn't quite satisfying as a mystery; I felt as though I hadn't quite been given all of the pieces to the puzzle in a such a way that I *could* have ever solved it.
I really appreciated the Aboriginal lore and storytelling tradition though!
I really appreciated the Aboriginal lore and storytelling tradition though!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Confinement, Child abuse, Blood, Kidnapping, Racism, Physical abuse, Murder, Emotional abuse, and Death
off2explore's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, and Murder
ashleycmms's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Blood, Car accident, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racism, Torture, Violence, and Vomit
sophiesmallhands's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was easily read in one sitting but by golly does it pack a punch! This is the type of book we need to be studying at school in Australia.
What begins as a simple investigation into a deadly fire (as simple as it can be when the detective’s dead daughter is around in ghost form to help him), ends up uncovering a harrowing tale of survival and long-held grief. The plot also begins the scratch the surface of the tragedy that is the Stolen Generation in Australia, whereby numerous Indigenous children were forcibly removed from their families to try and assimilate them in “white society”.
Much of the book is told in prose, which I admittedly stay away from a lot of the time, but now I’m starting to think that that has been a mistake. The prose is lyrical, easy to read and the use of allegory to veil to a terrible truth is simply superb.
Story-telling and family is at the heart of this book, and oh, what a mighty heart it has.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Rape, Murder, and Violence
lrocke's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Catching Teller Crow follows two young Aboriginal women, Beth Teller and Isabelle Catching. Beth died in a car crash several months previously, but her father can still see her. He's a policeman in the city and has been sent to a small town to investigate a fire at a children's home to rule out foul play. They meet Catching, a witness to the fire, who isn't telling them everything she knows. Beth's chapters are in prose, while Catching's are in verse, which I had to reread to make sure I followed it properly as I'm not used to reading in that style. It's a story about the harm colonialism has wrought on the Indigenous people of this country, and the systemic racism that's still perpetuated. It was beautifully written and moving.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Pedophilia, Racism, and Sexual assault
Catching Teller Crow follows two young Aboriginal women, Beth Teller and Isabelle Catching. Beth died in a car crash several months previously, but her father can still see her. He's a policeman in the city and has been sent to a small town to investigate a fire at a children's home to rule out foul play. They meet Catching, a witness to the fire, who isn't telling them everything she knows. Beth's chapters are in prose, while Catching's are in verse, which I had to reread to make sure I followed it properly as I'm not used to reading in that style. It's a story about the harm colonialism has wrought on the Indigenous people of this country, and the systemic racism that's still perpetuated. It was beautifully written and moving.