Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

I Have Some Questions For You by Rebecca Makkai

72 reviews

twoesplease's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• 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

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Sexual violence

Minor: Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, and Sexual harassment

karen_lo's review against another edition

challenging mysterious reflective sad tense 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

3.5

3.5 stars

It's confusing at the beginning, but once you pick up the pace, it's okay.

This is a very slow-burn book that reflects heavily on sexism, racism, gender-based violence, and memory.

I liked it, but I was expecting a confrontation that never came. I guess it's a parallelism with life, and how sometimes you're just left wondering the what-ifs, the could-haves, and the should-haves of important things.

I definitely wanted justice and liberty for the innocent ones.

It was a bittersweet read

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Cancer, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Mental illness, and Suicide

theyellowbrickreader's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Murder

Moderate: Suicide

michmoo's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Grief, Murder, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Cancer, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Rape, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Pandemic/Epidemic

laurenleigh's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• 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? Yes

5.0

I’ve been reading too much “meh” lately, and I’m so glad I finally found a five star! I adore Makkai’s work yet again. I’m fascinated by the range of her work. This novel is so of this time. You’ve got Covid, true crime podcasts, and the Me Too movement all in one. I would have enjoyed the boarding school murder mystery on its own, but the feminist layer on top made it even more powerful. Fair warning, this book may enrage you at some points. Perhaps it was even a bit heavy handed at times, like I could feel Makkai’s own rage. But it really hooked me, and I couldn’t put it down! The pacing and the main character (while morally ambiguous at times) was quite engaging.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Murder, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Eating disorder, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Blood

bella_cavicchi's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

I like a book that makes me think. SOME QUESTIONS had me reflect on how we so often only construct narratives around justice to serve ourselves, as well as the sheer challenge of being a woman in this world. It made me angry—not because of the book itself, but rather because I share in its exhaustion over the many harmful ramifications of the patriarchy.

I know it's not perfect—some characters are thinly fleshed out, it critiques true crime as a genre without ever truly being able to escape it—but it had me hooked and it had me ponder and, for me, that's enough.

(I also found it cathartic reading about a private school and realising what bizarre, intense, and intoxicating places they can be.)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Grief, Murder, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Rape and Sexual content

Minor: Suicide attempt

katconig's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Eating disorder, Sexism, Sexual violence, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment

jesselopod's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-paced

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

3.25

A well written book with a disappointing plot 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Cancer, Death, Eating disorder, Pedophilia, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Blood, Murder, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Suicide, and Gaslighting

ashtheaudiomancer's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

3.75

Not my usual type of thing, but it's a fast-paced murder mystery clearly designed to make you reevaluate our justice system. This only took me a few days to finish once I got started. I also don't have a burning need to read it again though, so take that as you will. Recommended if you're in the usual audience for challenging mysteries.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Racism, and Sexual violence

Minor: Rape

It's a murder mystery where a girl is killed at a high school, there are certain tropes you should probably expect going in. The aftermath is described in detail, and there are multiple times the narrator attempts to reconstruct the events that led to it, but the actual murder is not described in real time.

clarehiyama's review against another edition

emotional funny mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

Another banger from Rebecca Makkai! I loved the combo of murder mystery with critiques of the true crime genre. I think she effectively illustrated how traumatizing sexual and gender-based violence can be to the individual who experienced it as well as to their community, and I think she balanced that with a clear critique of the criminal punishment system. Beyond how it fit with my personal politics, I also found it extremely engaging and finished it in a few days. It was hard to put down! That being said, anyone who reads this should know ahead of time that there are numerous detailed depictions of the murder of a young woman. It didn’t feel gratuitous to me but it’s not for everyone.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Murder, and Sexual harassment