Reviews tagging 'Gun violence'

In the Distance by Hernán Díaz

5 reviews

possumura's review

adventurous challenging emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

Even though the book was an easy read it didn’t make it less gut wrenching, emotional or hopeful. It’s an adventure and a beautifully written one.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Gun violence and Violence

Minor: Child abuse and Sexual assault

readerette's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark 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? No

3.0

If you liked Grapes of Wrath, you'll probably like this, since it's basically the same story but about one man surviving in the Old West instead of a family surviving during the Great Depression. If you're expecting something akin to the wonder and depth of Trust, though, you'll be disappointed (though if you didn't like Trust maybe this would be more to your taste, since it's quite different). Well-written and Håkan is easy to empathize with. 

The edition I read had a rather distasteful note after the story that "literature is not the same as publishing", which in the context of this overwrought book feels snobbish. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Confinement, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Torture, Violence, and Medical content

Minor: Sexual violence

emerbk's review against another edition

adventurous reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Gore, Gun violence, Rape, and Sexual violence

msawyer77's review against another edition

adventurous dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

savvylit's review against another edition

adventurous reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

"The vastness around him was now his flesh. And yet, nothing - not the countless footsteps taken or knowledge acquired, not the adversaries bested or the friends made, not the love felt or the blood shed - had made it his."

In theory, I did not think this would be a book I would enjoy. Historical fiction about a lone man experiencing violence and desolation? Typically not my genre. However, In the Distance is an incredible book and Håkan is a captivating protagonist. Hernan Diaz writes so artfully and efficiently - I don't think there is a single superfluous word in this novel. Often reading like an early American folktale, this novel follows Håkan on a sort of anti-hero's journey. He constantly gets swept up in situations that he'd rather avoid. Some of the situations are so extreme that they invite disbelief. However, Diaz somehow manages to keep Håkan's story convincing all the way up to the perfect ending.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Confinement, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Murder