Reviews tagging 'Suicidal thoughts'

Dominicana by Angie Cruz

4 reviews

litliz's review

challenging 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? It's complicated

5.0

This book took me a bit to get into but once I was in, I was in all the way. Ana grows so much during the course of the book, which begins in the Dominican Republic but quickly takes her journey to Washington Heights. There are some really lovely passages that depict different things - one of my favorites essentially shows her disassociation in the wake of receiving tragic news after experiencing a series of traumas. Another fascinating chapter discusses the challenges faced by Dominicans in the US during the Civil Rights movement, and the idea that black people would resent Dominicans or perhaps feel that they had the market cornered on oppression and prejudice. I felt like the novel really highlighted the strength of its protagonist Ana’s spirit, the complicated dynamics between mother and daughter, and the very mixed feelings Ana has for almost every person she consistently interacts with, particularly her abusive husband, Juan, whom she feels both a strong loathing but also indebted to. Ana’s voice in particular felt very authentic and real to me and is the reason this book was so powerful, in my mind. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Racism, Sexual harassment, Abandonment, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Dysphoria, Gaslighting, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Animal death, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Blood, Child abuse, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Medical content, and Misogyny

Moderate: Fatphobia

Minor: Ableism, Deportation, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Miscarriage, Violence, Vomit, War, Excrement, and Xenophobia

cozylifewithabby's review against another edition

I can't read this story. Too much trauma. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Child abuse, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Sexism, Pedophilia, and Rape

annreadsabook's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad tense slow-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

4.25

Dominicana is such a powerful and stirring read—I tore through it over the course of 24 hours because I couldn’t put it down! The novel begins with Ana Canción, a fifteen-year-old girl living in the Dominican Republic when she is married off to a 32-year-old man, with whom she moves to New York City. We watch from afar as the Dominican Republic descends into sociopolitical upheaval, and we feel Ana’s despair at being so far removed from the land and people she loves. This book is a close look at life as a young immigrant, the struggles of learning a new language and navigating a new country, and what it means to be a girl subjugated to the whims and wills of men. Despite her young age, Ana is forced to grow in self-confidence and independence; I mourned that she was forced into early adulthood due to the significant trials and hardships she faced.

Similar to Severance, something that took a lot of getting used to was the lack of quotation marks. For one thing (and this may just be a personal problem), I found it difficult to distinguish when people were speaking from narration or internal thoughts. Stylistically, however, I think it actually lends itself to a more internalized way of engaging with the narrative—you are in Ana’s head almost completely. The lack of quotations, for me, additionally reflected the isolation Ana felt in a foreign country combined with her forced marriage to an abusive man.

Overall, this was such an excellent and challenging read—it’s not very long, but it holds a lot.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Racism and Death

Minor: Animal death and Suicidal thoughts

aquakerwitch's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional slow-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, Rape, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Infidelity, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Racial slurs, Racism, Incest, Grief, and Emotional abuse