Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh

16 reviews

quinnviv's review against another edition

adventurous dark reflective fast-paced

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

5.0

Was genuinely surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. I went into it knowing that it could be a difficult read due to the dialect however that was my main draw to the book for research purposes. What I initially set off on when starting the book changed entirely once I found myself in the world and with the characters, who I didn't necessarily like but seemed to care for in some way.

The way Welsh differentiates the characters point of views through the change in writing style and accent was marvellous and I loved the working class perspective on big topics. I would've loved to see more of Stevie's and Nina's character as they presented an interesting outsiders look into the depravity of the scene that Renton has found himself in. My only gripe with the book was that at times I found myself disappointed in the disappearance of story threads but the disjointed structure of the book seemed to reflect the headspace of its characters which I appreciated.

This structure of vignettes coming from multiple peoples perspectives rather than a fully cohesive story was reminiscent of sitting around a table with old friends and telling the highlights/lowlights of the past year. It treated the reader as smart, engaging with topics of systematic injustice for the working class in Britain with an educated but genuine voice of the lower class, as well as forcing you to infer gaps within the story.  The moments where the perspective was from a woman showed an appreciation for their resilience when not only are they systematically oppressed but also poorly treated by the misogynistic men in the story. 

Practically, reading this book allowed me to process the writing much easier as well as improved my Scottish accent.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Misogyny, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Death, Child abuse, Body horror, Sexism, Cursing, Animal cruelty, Drug use, Drug abuse, Vomit, Toxic friendship, Terminal illness, and Rape

Moderate: Alcoholism

jacquelinepon's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective tense slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Addiction, Sexual violence, Rape, Racial slurs, Child abuse, Child death, Violence, Drug abuse, Xenophobia, Pregnancy, Drug use, Alcohol, Terminal illness, and Sexual content

kirstybaxter's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Vomit, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Sexual violence, Child death, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, Toxic friendship, Infidelity, and Grief

Moderate: Excrement

Minor: Cancer

moonandmadness's review against another edition

dark emotional funny reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

When I say this has every trigger warning under the sun, I mean it. Despite this, I don't feel the horrors contained in this novel ever lack self awareness. Although I can see an argument about cheap shock factor being exploited, I felt that the strength of this novel is facilitating empathy without ever glamourising, or glorifying the characters - an even more startling feat when considering how thoroughly unpleasant most of them are.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child death, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Excrement, Fatphobia, Gore, Grief, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, Trafficking, Violence, Vomit, and Xenophobia

alexorr's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Abortion, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Homophobia, Hate crime, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, and Vomit

niamcat's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective medium-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Drug use, Sexual violence, and Violence

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, and Child death