Reviews

Trigger Warning-OCD,Violence,Anxiety,Death,Racism

This is one of the most original and the best YA books I have read in a long time. I started reading this book not knowing much about the race riots of 1969 in Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia. I have never seen this topic broached in fiction till date.After the election,the Chinese and Malay took to the streets and brutally assaulted and murdered each other and burnt down property.

The author does not sugarcoat anything in this book and that's what makes it amazing.This book is gruesome containing racism and graphic violence but the author also urges to look past people as human beings first instead of looking at the ethnicity. She also urges not to let this become a cold fact in history books because we do not appreciate the horrors people faced at that time.

This book is set in the backdrop of the riots but it is also about Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. The main character in this book,Melati Ahmad must perform simple actions and rituals like tapping her fingers and counting till she is able to appease the Djinn(voice) in her head and will herself not to think of terrifying,drastic thoughts. I found it believable and sad. In those days,there was more stigma against mental illnesses and the author makes us aware of that in the story. Melati names the voice in her head as the Djinn partly because of the superstitions in those days and the lack of alternate explanations for her condition.

I feel that the author has done a great job in capturing those obsessive circles of Melati and I found my anxiety spiking along with hers while reading the book. I read this book mostly with dread and a nauseating feeling in my heart.

The word building in this book is great and we are able to see gorgeous explanations of the setting which provoke even more horror in us.The heavy subject matter was handled very deftly in this book.

This book is a brilliant,devastatingly emotional debut which all of us have to read. Overall,highly recommended!

maddie_c's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective tense fast-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

4.75

This is a beautifully written, tough book. Like the author says in the beginning, know your mental state before reading this. It’s hard but sometimes it’s necessary to face the atrocities that have been committed in the past to reflect on how we can move forward to a brighter, more loving tomorrow. Allan does a fantastic job narrating that.

thomaslarue's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

This is the closest that a book has ever come to showing what OCD has been like in my personal experience. The first book that has made me feel the level of urgency that my intrusive thoughts are able to make me feel in real life. That being said I’m gonna need Vince to apologize to my girl Melati right now for getting angry at her compulsions. I will cut him some slack because he was worried about his family and compulsions can be annoying but still. Not cool man.

artisticbookworm's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

This was a thrilling and heart-stopping read. I didn't know much about the 1969 riots, so this book was sort of like a history lesson for me. (But a fun and enjoyable one.) The little details really reminded me of home, like the Malaysian English, the malay terms, etc. Totally recommend!

izzanami's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional slow-paced

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

2.75

More...