Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

The Break by Katherena Vermette

14 reviews

rideauriverreads's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Cursing, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Rape, and Violence

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Child death, Blood, Dementia, Drug abuse, Drug use, Medical content, Addiction, Alcoholism, and Racism

a_islandcriptid's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

This is an amazing book, it tells a very powerful and pogniant story of community, family, history, and trauma. It is a rough read and deals very well with so many difficult and emotional things, and is stunningly written 

Warning that it is a very heavy, dark, emotional story so take care of yourself and be cautious of triggers.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Blood, Colonisation, Cursing, Addiction, Alcohol, Bullying, Child abuse, Death of parent, Death, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Rape, Drug use, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Sexual violence, Racism, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, and Mental illness

Moderate: Self harm, Child abuse, Classism, Drug abuse, Hate crime, Misogyny, and Police brutality

raybudbury's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• 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

3.75

Book club book that I didn’t complete on time but completed an hr after the meeting 😭. 

Very hard but important read. Be mindful of the content warnings especially sexual abuse, child abuse, and the rest. Really liked this one. I was listening to this at a very fast pace to be able to go to book club (hit 88% rip) and so may have missed some. Not an easy read to listen to as character pov jumps at a break neck speed so be mindful of that. 


I didn’t read the actual novel but saw copies of it during the book club meeting and I love that there is a family tree in it. Which would be useful as a lot of the characters go by nicknames of their actual names so it can get confusing w that as well! 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, and Drug use

Minor: Alcoholism

siobhanward's review against another edition

emotional 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? It's complicated

3.5

 This was a solid but heavy read. Definitely check trigger warnings before reading. Overall, the plot was good and the characters were great. Vermette created an interwoven cast of characters, each with their own story, although it took most of the book for me to figure out who was who and how everyone was connected.

The book definitely dragged in the middle, and it could be confusing as the book moved quickly through different characters, but overall this was a solid read. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Rape, Child abuse, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Death of parent and Drug use

Minor: Pregnancy

margardenlady's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? It's complicated

4.0

Heartwrenching story of abuse, woven tightly with a story about the communal strength of women and their love for family. This novel is a complex quilt of life in a neighborhood populated primarily by indigenous families. Narrators of each chapter are identified by name and by  weaving their separate narratives together, we ultimately see the whole story. Lots of triggers: alcoholism, child abuse, abandonment, sexual abuse, discrimination. These are dealt with honestly and without flinching, while deep connections of love and cultural traditions provide a strong base for relationships [although sometimes ignored by the characters].

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault and Violence

Moderate: Abandonment and Child abuse

mossybean's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Addiction, Sexual violence, Rape, Physical abuse, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Child abuse

bnelson13's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense 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? Yes

4.0

Interesting story, really well written, incredibly heavy.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Bullying, Grief, Rape, Sexual assault, Addiction, Sexual violence, Drug abuse, Death, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Mental illness, Blood, and Violence

wordsofclover's review against another edition

dark reflective medium-paced

• 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? It's complicated

4.5

When Stella wakes up in the middle of the night to care for her crying child, she doesn't expect to witness a crime in the empty field across from her house. Shaken at the unspeakable violence she has witnessed, Stella tries to deal with the guilt she feels for not doing more. On the other side of town, another family of Métis women, come together when one of their own - the most precious and innocent - is injured.

This book is phenomenal for a debut novel - the combination of pain, violence and neglect as well as the love, kindness and care between all the characters is amazing. I was really hooked into this story and all the women we are following as they try and piece their lives together after a terrible violent act.

This book focuses on the lives of Métis women living in Winnipeg in Canada, and looks at the danger and intergenerational trauma lived by so many young girls and women in such societies where they are looked down upon, are abused and assaulted on regular basis and let down by any type of government authority that should be caring for them. I feel like Phoenix's story reflects this the most - the anger, and confusion she feels throughout the novel, despite at times presenting as a young, scared child who just wants to be cared for. And in parts we learn what her mother Elsie went through as a teenager and piece together what Phoenix's life must have been like because of this.

And Cheryl, Lou, Emily and Paul - along with Rita and Ziggy - are in such a community of love and kindness with one another, it feels like another world but that doesn't mean these women weren't hurt from abusive husbands to heartbreak, to witnessing terrible things and knowing at all times the danger they are in as women in their world.

But while this book is centered around a horrible act of sexual violence, the deeper story in it is about the love and hope between all these women, and how they hold on to each other throughout it all and never let anyone fade away. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault

Moderate: Racism, Racial slurs, and Child abuse

Minor: Child death

dallyowally's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• 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? It's complicated

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Sexual assault, Sexism, Child abuse, Gore, Drug abuse, Drug use, Alcohol, Sexual violence, Racism, Sexual content, Racial slurs, Xenophobia, Rape, Physical abuse, Murder, Hate crime, Misogyny, and Grief

schaarzy's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful medium-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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Violence, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Rape

Moderate: Blood, Toxic relationship, Sexism, Sexual content, Medical content, Child death, and Mental illness

Minor: Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Blood, Child abuse, Toxic friendship, Racial slurs, Eating disorder, Dementia, and Death of parent