Reviews tagging 'Dysphoria'

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

68 reviews

addyruth17's review against another edition

challenging informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: Death, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, and Sexual assault

Minor: Alcohol, Blood, Cursing, Death of parent, Drug use, Dysphoria, Grief, Gun violence, Homophobia, Murder, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Transphobia, and Violence

quinn12_'s review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• 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? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Grief, Violence, Dementia, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, Emotional abuse, Dysphoria, Murder, Racial slurs, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Death of parent, Medical content, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Sexism, Rape, and Terminal illness

elodie_melodie's review against another edition

challenging emotional lighthearted reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

Ein tolles Buch, ich hab es in wenigen Tagen verschlungen! Ich mochte vor allem sehr, dass die Geschichte aus vielen verschiedenen Perspektiven erzählt wurde. Auch die diversen Thematiken fand ich spannend und abwechslungsreich. Ganz große Empfehlung. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Racism, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Dysphoria, Hate crime, Gun violence, Murder, and Racial slurs

pershie13's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective 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? Yes

5.0

This book brought so many themes and perspectives to the table, and I absolutely loved it! It started a bit slow but eventually diverged into multiple different viewpoints across generations and locations. I could not put it down for the second half of a book and tore through it. Brit Bennett provided so many perspectives on race, class, and identity, just to name a few themes laced throughout this book, and this book will have me thinking for a long time on how people who grow up together doing everything together can lead completely different lives based on the choices and identities they make. One of my favorite books I've read!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, and Sexual content

Minor: Dysphoria, Sexual assault, and Child abuse

daisiesandbees's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring fast-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Dysphoria, Murder, Physical abuse, Racism, Body shaming, and Violence

Minor: Blood, Grief, and Drug use

h_brohman's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective tense 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Murder, and Death of parent

Moderate: Dementia, Sexual assault, and Dysphoria

avacate9's review against another edition

adventurous challenging informative reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Dementia, Domestic abuse, Dysphoria, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Abandonment, Bullying, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual content, Classism, Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

bibliocinephile's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative reflective 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? Yes

5.0

this was excellent beautiful imagery

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Hate crime, Racial slurs, and Death of parent

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Dysphoria

kate_lemer's review against another edition

reflective fast-paced

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

2.25

The premise of the book is interesting. Though the summary is a bit misleading. It does not feel like anybody is the main character of this book, or rather, nobody is the main character of this book. As a reader, you are plunged inside the plot, and told to swim. Unfortunately, you keep on threading water up until the last page. 

It is possible that after reading so many (for me) bad contemporary books, I've become biased against them. But it does appear like I've treaded into an ocean of mediocre literature. I can't say the book is entirely bad. There are flashes of feeling, interesting remarks or thoughts of characters. Metaphores and red strings that lead you through the entire story, which only realise in hindsight. However, it feels like the author is trying to build a diverse narrative, tick all the boxes so to say. But in doing so, everything ends up so overwhelmingly underdeveloped. Just as you start hoping that it will go somewhere, the author decides to introduce yet another character. It is rushed - feels like an underbaked cake: the ingredients are there, but the cook did not how to bake it properly...

The most interesting parts are probably from Jude's perspective, especially those in the beginning. The way she intentionally blanks her father's abuse of her mother, how she blames her mother for certain aspects of it - it introduces the rationale in a very believable way. She is angry she's in a place where everybody hates her, she misses her father, and her mother keeps lying to her. She keeps clinging to a phantasy, because it's better than real life.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, and Racism

Moderate: Misogyny

Minor: Dysphoria

chaos_and_chapters's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Violence, Classism, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Racial slurs, and Racism

Moderate: Sexual assault, Medical content, Murder, Sexual violence, Death, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Dysphoria, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Alcohol and Grief