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eliel's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
For me this was the perfect book to read right now. It tied together so many things I have heard and read lately. Definitely a book I can get back to eventually.
Moderate: Suicide, Cancer, Incest, Death, Pedophilia, Child abuse, and Self harm
Minor: Torture
ollie_again's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Violence, Murder, Grief, and Death
Moderate: Sexual assault, Child abuse, Homophobia, Hate crime, Cancer, Pedophilia, and Suicide
Minor: Racism, Torture, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, and Incest
znvisser's review against another edition
- 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? No
3.0
Furthermore, I ran into quite a few of my pet peeves, which didn’t contribute to my reading experience. The author, through his instrument of the storyteller, exudes an air of arrogance: women are described through a male gaze (even when Lucie meets herself), Nigeria and the US through a European gaze, and religion through an atheist gaze. There was no reason to not explore this more humbly. And on a less serious note: I just don’t enjoy writers writing about writing. It only works for me in very few instances, and this was definitely not one of those. It was made worse by the writer in this book having written a book called ‘the anomaly’ too, which kept popping up so often it became quite central to the story, even quoting from its imaginary pages as if it were the most brilliant thing ever written. Was this supposed to be clever, or funny? Similarly, was it supposed to be clever or funny to make a caricature out of a president that has hurt so many lives?
For me this story would have improved immensely by just sticking to the relational aspect through a limited number of characters. Now it was just an ok read.
Moderate: Cancer, Cursing, Death, Grief, Gun violence, Homophobia, Suicide, Incest, Infidelity, Murder, Racism, Child abuse, Pregnancy, and Religious bigotry
lesenilpferd's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Sexual assault, Cancer, Pedophilia, Incest, Sexual violence, Suicide, and Terminal illness
sarah984's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Graphic: Cancer, Confinement, Terminal illness, and Torture
Moderate: Body shaming, Child abuse, Death, Grief, Incest, Medical content, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Minor: Animal death, Fire/Fire injury, Hate crime, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Self harm, and Xenophobia
vbigv's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
A nice quick science-fiction piece that will make you think all the while entertaining you. Worth the read.
Moderate: Cancer, Suicide, and Terminal illness
Minor: Pedophilia, Hate crime, Incest, Adult/minor relationship, and Homophobia
sweeetpeasoup's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Murder, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Death, Incest, Suicide attempt, Cancer, Child abuse, and Pedophilia
Minor: Pregnancy, Sexual content, Gun violence, and Homophobia
parablesarah's review against another edition
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Animal death
Minor: Homophobia, Child abuse, Terminal illness, Hate crime, Suicide, and Incest
quotes_with_a_quill's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Blood
Minor: Blood, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Incest, Religious bigotry, Injury/Injury detail, and Terminal illness
astridrv's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Moderate: Suicide, Murder, Blood, Cancer, and Terminal illness
Minor: Pedophilia, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Violence, Homophobia, Incest, Grief, and Death
Very well paced book, that I read easily over 24 hours. The first part of the book was in my eyes really successful in creating believable characters and an intriguing set-up. The other two thirds delivered, but delivered an average book, pleasant, gripping enough, ultimately forgettable. I think the author had a lot of fun writing this and also had a heart break to process. Both make for a charming book that does not reach as deep as the premise and ambition (visible in the endless philosophical references) would lead you to believe.