Reviews tagging 'Bullying'

Croc fendu by Tanya Tagaq, Sophie Voillot, Jaime Hernández

27 reviews

foldingthepage_kayleigh's review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Bullying, Rape, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Domestic abuse, Incest, Drug abuse, Gore, Grief, and Pregnancy

emory's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad

• 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? Yes

My most succinct reason for disliking this is just that it's not for me. I very much enjoyed the surrealism of the plot, but so much of the book was overshadowed by sections upon sections of what seemed to me to be trite quips trying very hard to be profound and quotable through vague generality. The sections and poems with genuine heart shone through besides, but I couldn't get past the writing, and although a goal of this book seems to be challenging notions of what is natural and sitting with that discomfort, I personally could not get past the recurring upsetting sexual imagery and motifs.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual violence, Child death, Death, Drug use, Grief, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Animal death, Bullying, Colonisation, Drug abuse, and Suicide

Minor: Vomit

A few depictions and mentions of, albeit in dreams and myth, bestiality.

emsim's review against another edition

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Drug use, Alcohol, Animal death, Rape, Sexual assault, and Bullying

kassiopeija's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious reflective sad tense 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Addiction

mapscitiesandsongs's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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

2.75

I don't really know how to rate this, since I have the feeling that I didn't even understand half of the book. The prose was certainly interesting and beautiful. I am a bit sad that I couldn't get the audiobook. Maybe I would have enjoyed it more. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Rape, Sexual harassment, Alcoholism, Death, Drug use, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Addiction, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Animal death, and Sexual content

Moderate: Colonisation, Misogyny, and Sexism

Minor: Blood and Grief

kay_raichu's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

It's an amazing novel that manages to incorporate prose organically. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Bullying, Cancer, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Alcohol, Animal death, Death, Incest, and Suicide

catapocalypse's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective slow-paced

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

5.0

The description of the book doesn't do it full justice; the book is a mix of brief sections of prose, poems, and Jaime Hernandez's illustrations. The narrative is equally fragmented, but forms a powerful whole that is both fierce and vulnerable. Tagaq draws inspiration from her own life in this depiction of growing up in Nunavut that is brutally honest yet shrouded in spirits and visions. The girl at the center of the narrative roams the town and surrounding wilderness through the extended daylight of northern summers and endless night of the winters. She tries to escape the demons plaguing the adults, including alcoholism and sexual abuse. She encounters spirits with varying intentions, and at seventeen one such encounter leads to an unusual pregnancy.

I had to sit with this for a bit, because reading poetry is not something I have enough experience with. Much like Tagaq's music, it's haunting, beautiful, and explores a wide range of emotion and experience. Despite the vast difference between these experiences and my own, there were things that deeply resonated with me.

The brief length of the book and the quick pace the short sections make of it suggest a fast read, but I recommend taking your time to sit with each section, especially if you're inexperienced with poetry or more unconventional narrative styles. Please look up the content warnings if you need, as well; there is a lot of trauma explored, but also a lot of healing.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Rape, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Bullying

Minor: Homophobia, Body horror, Drug use, and Domestic abuse

jenny_d's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional slow-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: Rape, Pregnancy, Child abuse, Bullying, Drug abuse, and Alcohol

ktrecs's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Blood, Bullying, Cancer, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Rape, Religious bigotry, Child death, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Drug abuse, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Grief, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Cannibalism and Vomit

yavin_iv's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Pedophilia, Rape, Pregnancy, Suicide attempt, Drug abuse, Alcohol, Body horror, and Sexual content

Moderate: Bullying, Colonisation, Cancer, Blood, Self harm, Abandonment, and Murder

Minor: Vomit