Reviews with content warning for Misogyny - Trespasses

I was strangely compelled to finish this book quickly, but I think that is due to some quality of the writing I haven't identified yet. The lack of quotation marks is strange and doesn't lend itself well to being a stylistic choice. Save one, I hated every single character. It seems we're supposed to be sad that

Michael is killed or that Cushla is finally free of shit abuse.

There's nothing redeemable about the love interest. I didn't leave this book feeling sad, because the "love story" is just two selfish people who are most definitely not in love. What was the author trying to say? What were we supposed to learn? Belfast was violent? Yeah, we know. Cheating is bad? Obviously. I didn't hate the book, but I don't understand how it made it to the shortlist.

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qqjj's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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itsnotsarah's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense medium-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

2.5

The overall tone of this book is very depressing, which is not really surprising given the topic, but I would still advise against reading this book if you are currently not feeling so well already or if something traumatic has happened to you recently. Chances are pretty high that this one would make it worse (it did for me).
The heavy drinking and alcoholism of many characters was very triggering for me, but I had to read this book for one of my university classes. I think it is a good book, if you want to know what it felt like living in Northern Ireland during The Troubles, but otherwise just depressing and uncomfortable to read.
The main relationship also comes out of nowhere and he is double her age, which is not necessarily bad, but I personally didn’t like it. Especially since it’s also

an affair

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lostinthelibrary's review against another edition

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emotional informative tense medium-paced

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

3.5

This was a great book for anyone with an interest but basic knowledge about The Troubles. There is a lot of violence which escalates throughout the book both for the characters and in general from well placed news snippets.

But this book is only partly about that. It is also about relationships, family dynamics and the unfair position working class people and women were put into during this era. While few characters were likeable, their actions made sense amongst the setting and the writing was very evocative of the era.

There were a few things that bothered me along the way in the writing (please use speech marks, it's pretentious not to) and the plot (wanting to shake Cushla throughout) but overall a very positive reading experience that provided a great discussion for our book club.

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