Reviews tagging 'Antisemitism'

De avond is ongemak by Lucas Rijneveld

32 reviews

bomenvernietiger's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

4.5

Disgusting. <3

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Animal cruelty, Grief, Rape, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Domestic abuse, Sexism, Incest, Pandemic/Epidemic, Self harm, Sexual violence, Antisemitism, Child abuse, Child death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Suicide, Animal death, Death, Death of parent, and Excrement

Moderate: Cursing, Infidelity, Misogyny, Medical content, Alcohol, Body horror, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Body shaming, Murder, and Violence

Minor: Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, and Vomit

l4r4777's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.5

A gut-wrenching story about a family consumed by grief told by a deeply traumatised girl. Horrific and disgusting and just a lot. The writing is really good, some lines in particular really stuck with me. Far too many descriptions of (TW)

incest and sexual activity regarding minors

but other than that this book is an intriguing exploration into grief and a family falling apart.

Don’t pick this up if you’re easily squeamish and uncomfortable with any of the content warnings associated with this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Eating disorder, Suicide attempt, Grief, Incest, Mental illness, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Child death, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Excrement, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Violence

Moderate: Antisemitism, Pedophilia, and Adult/minor relationship

gersonswhistle's review against another edition

challenging dark sad slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Pedophilia, Child abuse, Child death, Antisemitism, Vomit, Incest, Sexual assault, Eating disorder, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, and Excrement

janethevirgin46's review against another edition

challenging dark tense fast-paced

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

3.5

This book was weird. Wildly uncomfortable if not absolutely disgusting. The themes made me nauseous and certain scenes made me put the book down for a bit. Besides the content of the book, I felt some wording was off. It might have been the translation I got but you could tell it was their first novel. It had too many metaphors and similes, it got to feel repetitive. It’s an ok book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Death, Abandonment, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Suicide, Incest, Animal cruelty, Antisemitism, Excrement, and Mental illness

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Animal death

justsayfit's review against another edition

dark emotional funny reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

This is such a well written but highly traumatic book. It deals with family death, depression, eating disorders, abuse, religion and suicide. It is impossible to say that it is a joy to read. In the beginning, it is almost charming to read the ideas of a young girl and her outlook on the world even while she is trying to deal with the death of her brother which she thinks that she is responsible for. The whole family spirals into depression and she tries so hard to make her sense of it. Because her mother in now anorectic and probably a closet alcoholic who drinks in the Celler, the child somehow thinks that the mother is hiding Jews in the cellar and is giving them the food that she herself is not eating. There numbers of such strange thoughts. The child longs so much for consolation and warmth, that she would do just about anything to get any, but her parents are too distracted with their own sorrow and are a bit too “Protestant” to give warmth. Only work gives solace. So many things occur that made me physically and viscerally ill. In the end, I just wanted it all to be over with and, I guess, that was the goal. The reader has no choice but to totally empathise with the child and agree to the only solution that she could devise. It does not end well. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Child abuse, Excrement, Sexual violence, Eating disorder, Antisemitism, Bullying, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Animal cruelty, Child death, Grief, Physical abuse, and Self harm

inceptionistbooks's review against another edition

dark sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

“Sadness doesn’t grow, only the space it takes up” 

Well, the title fits. It really isn’t a fun read, please take care and look at the trigger warnings beforehand! I’m not even sure that I got all of them below. 

If you hate questionable characters, this is not a book for you. The characters here are grieving and have found no way of working through that grief in a healthy way. So we see a family breaking further apart (because the issues were there before the loss) and Jas, the narrator, is consumed by her own grief and her own thoughts. It’s so clear that she has so much that she wants to talk about with someone who will hear it but no way of knowing how to or with whom. Her inner monologue has these moments which are almost heart-breaking in their simplicity but clearly show that she is barely holding it together (because she’s a child with no emotional support whatsoever). Her being constipated really is just an analogy for the fact that keeping shit in will just make things worse. Yes, it’s a major thing in the book and it is gross about it, so be aware of that as well. 

I’m very unsure how necessary certain elements were since I have the impression that it would have worked even if they weren’t included. I also wasn’t happy with the ending since it left you just feeling worse with no hope in sight. But I can’t necessary fault the author for going this route. 

This is one of those books that I could analyse to pieces because it is certainly well thought out but I would have to reread it and that won’t happen any time soon. This is HEAVY and I need something fun after this. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, Suicide, Excrement, Incest, Animal death, Child abuse, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Toxic friendship, Physical abuse, Antisemitism, Toxic relationship, Death, Eating disorder, and Pedophilia

vic_toria_book's review against another edition

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Antisemitism, Animal death, Animal cruelty, and Incest

erikwmj's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Eating disorder, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Pedophilia, Sexual harassment, Suicide, Child abuse, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Incest, Grief, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Antisemitism, Blood, Abortion, Religious bigotry, Bullying, Body shaming, and Ableism

oftheolivetree's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense slow-paced

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

1.0

The Discomfort of Evening touches on grief and the way families fall apart in a unique way. Jas, the main character, exemplifies how anxiety and obsessive tendencies develop following the experience of severe trauma, and how children often feel the need to be the glue that keeps their dying families together in the wake of tragedy. That being said, this book uses incredible violence, molestation, and incest, among other things, as shock value and excitement for readers who clearly have never experienced these things. Sexual abuse is romanticized heavily in this book and is described in heavy detail literally for no reason other than to shock the reader. Child molestation, incest, abuse, etc. adds nothing to the book and just feels like a perverse fantasy for creepy readers to get off to. It’s all discussed in such specific detail too. None of that needed to be in this book whatsoever, and it’s clear that this book is not for survivors in any way, especially with how the author writes children literally enjoying being molested. All of these things are in here just to be taboo. It is not a discussion of sexual trauma or violence in any regard. It romanticizes sexual violence and abuse. Don’t read this. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Pedophilia, Suicide, Violence, Suicide attempt, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Excrement, Incest, Sexual assault, Antisemitism, Blood, Rape, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Torture

Don’t fucking read this, my god.

rosalind's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Death, Grief, Xenophobia, Animal death, Child death, Excrement, Mental illness, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

Moderate: Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, Suicide, Body horror, Incest, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Domestic abuse, Child abuse, and Death of parent