Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

The Parcel by Anosh Irani

3 reviews

ludon5681's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• 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? Yes

3.5

The Parcel is a deeply reflective, compassionate novel about prostitution, trafficking, gender, and deprivation set in Kamathipura, a destitute red-light district of Bombay. The story is told from the point of view of Madhu, a 40-year-old Hijra (person of the third gender - akin to a transgender woman who has been castrated) who had been a sex worker and is now a beggar. Mahdu has a very distinct voice dripping with dry, dark humour and understandable bitterness for the way her life had turned out. Her deeply and carefully rendered character - along with the characters around her who make up the rich landscape of the novel - is a highlight of the book, and the character development and depth of the characters was by far my favorite part of the novel. The writing was more matter-of-fact than I would have liked; there were fewer passages which took my breath away than I was expecting there to be, though there were still some beautiful ones. I also found the ending to be a bit abrupt - it's possible it was foreshadowed in ways that I didn't immediately pick up on, but it didn't seem to follow from a clear arc of character development in the way I would have hoped. Lastly, of course, it is best to go into this book informed - it is very much "dead dove: do not eat" territory, and while it is a gorgeous, resonant novel, it is also a lot to take in.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Dysphoria, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Emotional abuse, Chronic illness, Sexual violence, Slavery, Addiction, and Child abuse

Moderate: Drug use, Medical content, and Drug abuse

kanjichris's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Slavery, Torture, Child abuse, Confinement, Medical trauma, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Body shaming, Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Trafficking, and Transphobia

Moderate: Outing, Death, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, and Violence

annabunce's review

challenging dark emotional informative sad medium-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? Yes

3.0

This is a hard book to review. Was the writing amazing? Yes. Was the story compelling? Yes. Did I learn something about a culture I know nothing about? Yes. Was it hard to read and upsetting? Yes. Am I glad I read it?.... yes. A hard read but ultimately a good one. Check the content warning though - this book could be very triggering to many folks. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Child abuse, Confinement, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Trafficking, and Transphobia

Moderate: Addiction, Body shaming, and Grief

Minor: Animal cruelty