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snowwhitehatesapples's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Also on Snow White Hates Apples.
The Hysterical Girls of St. Bernadette’s is a book that reflects the feminine rage of Malaysian girls who’ve been in positions similar to those of the main characters. Whose ’emotional’, valid reactions have been written off as hysterical. Whose voices have been oppressed and bodies have been commodified. Who had to live and relive trauma because of an unjust society and system. Who had to play the ‘desired’ victim just so people would listen and do something.
It’s an unapologetically angry book, seething silently with violence itching terribly for relief. And, this palpable rage itself is justified because why must abusers walk free and victims shunned? Why is one sex’s actions and reactions more valid than the other? Why must bodily autonomy be fought for and not automatically granted?
Our primary characters, Khadijah and Rachel, face these questions and more throughout the entire book. They deal with their own share of traumas (Khad has become mute since her stepfather’s assault while Rachel has always been burdened by her mother’s stringent, draconian expectations), separate narratives unfolding in tandem before converging where they’re both close to discovering the dark secret that has been hidden within the shadows of their school for years.
All this makes for a powerful story of girls protecting girls, girls standing their ground or finding the courage to, girls giving their all to no longer be viewed as no more than an object, and more. But, this isn’t all. The Hysterical Girls of St. Bernadette’s also shows that despite the presence of the supernatural (y’all the jump scares had my heart pounding, it’s so realistic because they happened in my high school too), they aren’t necessarily the monsters we must fear. Instead, it’s man who embodies monstrosity more than actual monsters.
This book isn’t without flaws, though, and the biggest one would be the anticlimactic ending. It’s a satisfying ending, yes, but it would’ve been better to include a resolution for Julianna since she played such a large role… Also, like, hello, how could you not give her a proper burial? How could you leave her there with her tormentor!?
Still, The Hysterical Girls of St. Bernadette’s is definitely the best Hanna Alkaf book I’ve read to date. It reminded me of Girl from Nowhere , a Thai show I recently watched, but it turned out to be different which I enjoyed.
The Hysterical Girls of St. Bernadette’s is a book that reflects the feminine rage of Malaysian girls who’ve been in positions similar to those of the main characters. Whose ’emotional’, valid reactions have been written off as hysterical. Whose voices have been oppressed and bodies have been commodified. Who had to live and relive trauma because of an unjust society and system. Who had to play the ‘desired’ victim just so people would listen and do something.
It’s an unapologetically angry book, seething silently with violence itching terribly for relief. And, this palpable rage itself is justified because why must abusers walk free and victims shunned? Why is one sex’s actions and reactions more valid than the other? Why must bodily autonomy be fought for and not automatically granted?
Our primary characters, Khadijah and Rachel, face these questions and more throughout the entire book. They deal with their own share of traumas (Khad has become mute since her stepfather’s assault while Rachel has always been burdened by her mother’s stringent, draconian expectations), separate narratives unfolding in tandem before converging where they’re both close to discovering the dark secret that has been hidden within the shadows of their school for years.
All this makes for a powerful story of girls protecting girls, girls standing their ground or finding the courage to, girls giving their all to no longer be viewed as no more than an object, and more. But, this isn’t all. The Hysterical Girls of St. Bernadette’s also shows that despite the presence of the supernatural (y’all the jump scares had my heart pounding, it’s so realistic because they happened in my high school too), they aren’t necessarily the monsters we must fear. Instead, it’s man who embodies monstrosity more than actual monsters.
This book isn’t without flaws, though, and the biggest one would be the anticlimactic ending. It’s a satisfying ending, yes, but it would’ve been better to include a resolution for Julianna since she played such a large role… Also, like, hello, how could you not give her a proper burial? How could you leave her there with her tormentor!?
Still, The Hysterical Girls of St. Bernadette’s is definitely the best Hanna Alkaf book I’ve read to date. It reminded me of Girl from Nowhere , a Thai show I recently watched, but it turned out to be different which I enjoyed.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Grief, and Gaslighting
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Sexual assault
booksandbabble's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Murder
Minor: Child death, Rape, and Vomit
aformeracceleratedreader's review
medium-paced
5.0
Read trigger/content warnings. The author does have a brief warning at the beginning as well.
Once again, Hanna Alkaf writes another banger for me. She has quickly become my fave ya author not only because culturally I can connect, but also her writing is just so good. It's a great take on supernatural horror/haunted house (well in this case haunted school) while also discussing heavy topics like sexual assault, r*p*, and PTSD. I enjoyed the characters and the story line flowed well for me. I liked the ending overall, but I wish there was one little thing involving the first missing girl to fully close the story. I did start to tear up at one part towards the end which the author somehow always makes me emotional in her books.
There were very topical and memorable lines toward the last fourth of the book like "How many times have we dismissed a girl because she acts in ways that makes us uncomfortable?" and "Perhaps girls just do what they can to get by. To survive." Plus many more that I even took pics of the pages with the lines on them.
I will def be watching out for what the author writes next because every single thing she has written has been top tier for me.
Once again, Hanna Alkaf writes another banger for me. She has quickly become my fave ya author not only because culturally I can connect, but also her writing is just so good. It's a great take on supernatural horror/haunted house (well in this case haunted school) while also discussing heavy topics like sexual assault, r*p*, and PTSD. I enjoyed the characters and the story line flowed well for me. I liked the ending overall, but I wish there was one little thing involving the first missing girl to fully close the story. I did start to tear up at one part towards the end which the author somehow always makes me emotional in her books.
There were very topical and memorable lines toward the last fourth of the book like "How many times have we dismissed a girl because she acts in ways that makes us uncomfortable?" and "Perhaps girls just do what they can to get by. To survive." Plus many more that I even took pics of the pages with the lines on them.
I will def be watching out for what the author writes next because every single thing she has written has been top tier for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Grief, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Rape