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sjanke2's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Moderate: Abandonment, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Body horror, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Vomit
christinecc'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
5.0
Without getting into spoilers beyond, say, the first chapter: our main character Dana is a young black woman in her twenties, living with her husband in the 1970s. One day, without warning, she feels ill and suddenly slips into the past, where she saves a young boy's life. Turns out she went back to Maryland during the early 19th century, which is... not a great place to be, particularly if you are not white and there are plantations nearby.
Over multiple trips, Dana gets to know the boy, named Rufus, whose father owns the plantation. I won't get into it more than that, but the big takeaway for me was the author's depiction of the main character's experience in the past, and how you can never understand an experience until it happens to you. The book shows us how Dana, who admits she used to judge the house slaves who (to her) seemed complacent and complicit with their slavers, comes to understand the choices these people made under the constant and real threat of danger and the strange, toxic dynamic where the persecuted and persecutors can't survive without each other.
The book also highlights similarities (just similarities, mind you, since the situations are not identical) between a slave who endures the unimaginable to survive and a woman whose partner beats her. Dana's cousin tells her she would never allow a man to hit her, but we know that the psychology and experience of domestic abuse is more complicated than "allowing" someone to hit you. That's pretty close to what Dana comes to understand by the end of the book. You can't capture that psychology in a single sentence. It's too horrific and complex. And as the book continues, and as Dana (in her own words) forgives those who brutalize her (specifically the boy Rufus), I realized I couldn't understand Dana, but I knew WHY I couldn't understand her. The same way Dana couldn't understand people in her situation before. It happens before we can notice it and before anyone can stop it.
Recommended as an incredible story, regardless of whether you read science-fiction or historical fiction, with a lot of trigger warnings for distressing violence, slavery & racism, and sexual assault, but it's never gratuitous, and Butler reportedly set the story in the Northeast because she knew things were even more violent farther down south and she didn't think a general audience could stomach the horrific reality (and, to her credit, she absolutely refused to tone down a depiction of slavery in the south, so Maryland was the compromise).
Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, Slavery, and Violence
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Rape, Suicide, and Self harm
Minor: Body horror
booksbutmakeitgay's review against another edition
3.0
Moderate: Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Medical content, Miscarriage, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Sexual violence, Torture, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Self harm
tachyondecay's review against another edition
- 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
Originally posted at Kara.Reviews.
Graphic: Murder, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Torture
Moderate: Body horror, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment
khushen'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
4.0
Graphic: Slavery
Moderate: Body horror and Rape
ohlhauc'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
Butler made it easy to understand the motivations of each character and to show the emotions and consequences of different events. The writing was straightforward and not overly atmospheric, yet you still felt like you were on the plantation. The persistent sense of danger and violence was also unflinching, and it made you care about the characters because you knew there would be consequences.
It was disturbing to feel some empathy for the slave owners during parts of the novel, but I felt that was by design as the main character, Dana, had stakes in keeping the son alive. That didn't make those moments any less unwanted, though. Butler is a master at making you feel the emotions you're meant to feel, and bringing out the heart of each scene.
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual content, Slavery, and Violence
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death of parent, and Rape
Minor: Suicide
megannewsome's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Self harm, Body horror, Violence, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Slavery, Sexual assault, Racism, Racial slurs, and Murder
Minor: Rape and Sexual violence
kayleedlaudick'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
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Suicide, and Racial slurs
Minor: Rape
leslie_overbookedsocialworker's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Slavery and Racism
Moderate: Death, Body horror, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, and Suicide attempt
ghoul_girl's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Suicide attempt, and Violence