Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

This Earth of Mankind by Pramoedya Ananta Toer

3 reviews

_sunnyday's review against another edition

4.75

challenging dark reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence

gilnean's review

3.75

challenging emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Child death, Death, Fatphobia, Genocide, Gun violence, Incest, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Trafficking, Murder, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Excrement, Medical content

Minor: Ableism, Animal death, Mental illness, Slavery, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Pandemic/Epidemic

lackadaisical_ally's review against another edition

5.0

challenging emotional informative reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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I have a personal connection to this book, so it really touched me; this was the first Indonesian book I read as a mixed Indo girl in the US. If you're interested in colonial era Indonesia or just the lives of people during colonial times in general, I say give it a try. It doesn't shy away from the horrors that occur in colonies, so just be mindful of that. But that being said, the book isn't all doom and gloom, there are definitely lighter moments. 

If you want a little summary blurb, I would say the book is about Minke, an Indonesian native, and his entanglement with the Mellema family, mostly with Annelies Mellema, the Indo daughter, and Nyai Ontosoroh, Annelies' native mother. You follow Minke through his life, his Dutch schooling, his relationship with Annelies (and Nyai), his writing, his journey in the legal system, and other things. The reader definitely learns about colonial life in Indonesia, especially the racial stratification and how that effects the character's agency. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racism, Xenophobia, Colonisation

Moderate: Mental illness, Misogyny, Police brutality, Medical content, Trafficking, Murder

Minor: Incest, Rape, Sexual assault