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4.17 AVERAGE
4.17 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Narrator is insufferable....I'll try again at another point, but I really couldn't get into this
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Racism, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, Murder, Classism
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Parts 1 + 2 really blew me away, but part 3 felt gratuitous
challenging
emotional
An incredibly confronting read and I feel an imperative read for all who work in emergency services. A harrowing human tragedy that could have been avoided were it not for inaction and lack of compassion/ empathy. The book ultimately explores who is to blame and whilst the narrator is far from blameless she wrestles with the moral dilemma it has presented her and where else she can turn the blame to. Whilst it is not her fault alone, she is essentially the last straw, the migrants last opportunity to have salvation and her inaction/lack of compassion cannot be ignored.
It touches on how often you are judged or measured on the lives that you don’t save and receive little to no recognition for the lives that you do. (This is not the main takeaway but I think it is still an important point that contributes to empathy fatigue in emergency service workers). How policy and procedure makes little room for morality and feeling and whilst our main character may have followed the rule book she did this without compassion or feeling. Whilst that is part of her role it highlights a flaw in the system and also in the person who followed orders instead of truly understanding the human suffering and seeing the migrants from a more compassionate view point. It does feel like the coastguard operative sees herself as the ultimate victim of the tragedy with the story trying to confront that and make her see beyond herself. In a way this says a lot about society at present, how society is often very self absorbed and how people often cannot see past themselves/how things affect them. It is not until they no are affected by something that they have a personal opinion or outrage.
It touches on how often you are judged or measured on the lives that you don’t save and receive little to no recognition for the lives that you do. (This is not the main takeaway but I think it is still an important point that contributes to empathy fatigue in emergency service workers). How policy and procedure makes little room for morality and feeling and whilst our main character may have followed the rule book she did this without compassion or feeling. Whilst that is part of her role it highlights a flaw in the system and also in the person who followed orders instead of truly understanding the human suffering and seeing the migrants from a more compassionate view point. It does feel like the coastguard operative sees herself as the ultimate victim of the tragedy with the story trying to confront that and make her see beyond herself. In a way this says a lot about society at present, how society is often very self absorbed and how people often cannot see past themselves/how things affect them. It is not until they no are affected by something that they have a personal opinion or outrage.