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elinakmn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Drug use
Moderate: Bullying, Homophobia, and Xenophobia
mitskilover's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Minor: Addiction, Homophobia, and War
bseigel's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Abortion, and War
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, and Abandonment
htgm_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Homophobia, and Toxic relationship
frankieisreading's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Racism, Terminal illness, Violence, Grief, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and War
maedavage's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
5.0
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Homophobia, and Grief
hoiyan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
“You’re a mother, Ma. You’re also a monster. But so am I—which is why I can’t turn away from you. Which is why I have taken god’s loneliest creation and put you inside it.”
"Our mother tongue, then, is no mother at all—but an orphan. Our Vietnamese a time capsule, a mark of where your education ended, ashed.”
“Sometimes being offered tenderness feels like the very proof that you’ve been ruined.”
“Afterward, lying next to me with his face turned away, he cried skillfully in the dark. The way boys do.”
“Maybe in the next life we’ll meet each other for the first time—believing in everything but the harm we’re capable of.”
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Grief, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Alcohol
Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Transphobia
i do want to make a warning note of multiple explicit sexual scenes between two teenage boyssaucy_bookdragon's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
But I do wish this could've had more prevalent character arcs as they all felt somewhat static which hampered the emotional impact for me. Little Dog feels less like a protagonist and more like a narrator. I did find his mother to be well realized though and she's arguably the real protagonist, despite the fact there are points where the narrative/stream of conscious drifts away from her.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Death, Homophobia, Mental illness, and Racism
Moderate: Addiction, Cancer, Grief, and War
_jasper_394'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? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Drug use, Racism, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Grief, and War
Moderate: Addiction, Cancer, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Terminal illness, Violence, and Death of parent
ellornaslibrary's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
And when I've had time to process this raw, emotional, beautiful read a little more I'll add to this review.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Dementia, Grief, Abortion, Alcohol, and War
Moderate: Bullying, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail