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bekarebeka'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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Grief, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Mental illness and Drug use
Minor: Sexual assault
dianna_reads's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Child death
Moderate: Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Cultural appropriation, and Car accident
Also detailed look at poverty and generational trauma of always living paycheck to paycheck without financial securityhflh'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? Yes
4.25
I really think this book is something special — It’s nothing and more than what I expected so I’m going to keep this review vague to try to maintain the mystery factor for other readers.
First of all, the PROSE. I wish I had the words to better describe Washburn’s style beyond that it feels so sharp and tactile. He also has a way of making the most mundane or unromantic things beautiful. This style is maintained across POVs while still keeping each character’s voice distinct.
For the story itself, the magical realism element is less of a focus and more of an avenue to deeply explore complex family dynamics and trauma (particularly related to colonization and poverty). The book switches between the POVs of three siblings as they grow up in a home where one gifted sibling carries the burden of helping financially support the family and the other two are in his shadow and, then, as all three try to ‘make it’ in some way on the mainland while separated from their family and dealing with old and new trauma. And it’s done so well.
It’s definitely heavy and emotional, but the characters also bring a lot of light and humour.
Unfortunately, I thought the last third lost itself a bit. I liked where it went, where it was going, and where it went after that, but that middle ‘where it was going’ part felt rushed compared to the care and depth in the first 2/3. This might have been what Washburn was going for, but it didn’t work as much for me. That being said, I’m excited for a future reread to see if my thoughts change and I’m eagerly awaiting Washburn’s next work.
Moderate: Homophobia, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, Mental illness, Death, Drug use, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: Sexual violence, Addiction, Forced institutionalization, and Animal death
Major spoiler TW:andrewhatesham'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? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Death, Grief, Medical content, Gore, and Sexual content
Moderate: Excrement, Lesbophobia, Mental illness, Car accident, Drug use, Cursing, Blood, Child death, Suicidal thoughts, and Self harm
Minor: Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Racial slurs, and Sexual assault
internationalreads's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Alcohol, Classism, Death, Drug use, Grief, Mental illness, Sexual content, Lesbophobia, and Homophobia
kelseyorzel'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? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Alcohol, Death, and Drug use
Minor: Mental illness and Racism
kaiulanilee'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? Yes
5.0
Particularly the way it wove language into beautiful but sometimes very jarring sentences and the way the author was able to capture the distinct personalities and thoughts of each character with the way he wrote their chapters was brilliant. This is an absolutely brilliant story about family, resilience, Hawaiian mythology, and our connection to the world around us and I would highly recommend it to anyone.
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Child death, Cursing, Death, Grief, Medical content, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Sexual assault
bobbijopmh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
“The kingdom of Hawai‘i had long been broken—the breathing rain forests and singing green reefs crushed under the haole fists of beach resorts and skyscrapers—and that was when the land had begun calling.”
Graphic: Car accident, Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Medical content, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Death
Moderate: Blood, Drug use, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Animal death
bootsmom3'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? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Animal death, Drug use, Grief, and Mental illness
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Rape
perditorian's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Moderate: Alcoholism, Grief, Death, and Mental illness