Reviews tagging 'Suicidal thoughts'

Evil Eye by Etaf Rum

92 reviews

ka_schulze's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad tense slow-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness and Misogyny

Moderate: Racism, Sexism, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Child abuse

clairebartholomew549's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-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

5.0

I found this book incredibly affecting. Yara's sense of loss and instability really resonated with me, and the themes around generational trauma and an enduring sense of wrongness got to me. I felt attached to Yara from the beginning; Rum does a phenomenal job of explaining how Yara's depression showed up in her body, how she tried so hard to be a good mother and good partner, and how she had no safe place to land. Her friendship with Silas is really beautiful, and the journey she goes on feels so rewarding. As with A Woman Is No Man, Rum's depiction of patriarchy and sexism and stifling family expectations is truly devastating, and her examination of how we can have empathy for our mothers while wishing it had been different anyway really hit me. This one will stay with me.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent, Pregnancy, Islamophobia, Racism, Genocide, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, and Mental illness

papayat's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective slow-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Mental illness

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts

mazden's review against another edition

challenging hopeful reflective tense slow-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

5.0

this book was so beautifully written and kept me engaged the whole time. there was not a plot necessarily but instead followed the inner thoughts of Yara, a Palestinian woman struggling to overcome generational trauma.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, and Suicidal thoughts

aliireads's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative reflective relaxing 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

4.0

Good book! Very sad and hard to read at times. A little frustrating with Yara’s family and upbringing, but the ending is good. The last 1/3 kind of drags on, but the book was good overall. It covers abuse, spousal abuse, neglect, emotional abuse, depression, anxiety, etc. definitely a heavy book, but it also has some very sweet moments. Everyone deserves a friend like Silas. I would recommend it! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Racism, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Violence, Abandonment, Mental illness, Bullying, Child abuse, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts

mthereader's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective slow-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? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Death of parent, Mental illness, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Xenophobia, Racism, Religious bigotry, and Suicidal thoughts

vivrao9's review against another edition

emotional sad medium-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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism

Moderate: Violence, Domestic abuse, and Suicidal thoughts

unboxedjack's review against another edition

emotional reflective fast-paced

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

2.5

I really thought I'd enjoy this book more than I did. The premise of a first-generation Palestinian-American woman exploring oppression, intergenerational trauma, and all that comes with that is very much up my alley. Unfortunately, this fell short. Obviously the reader is primed to be sympathetic to the protagonist, Yara, but the character development was incomplete. That was especially clear in how secondary characters were written. They had no depth, with Yara's being pretty minimal at times. Though I did like how Rum painted well-meaning white people as being just as racist with their microaggressive comments, the dialogue and presentation of this (as well as dialogue as a whole) was repetitive, superficial, and unrealistic. There were plenty of opportunities to dive into these themes more deeply rather than creating a fairly obvious and unsatisfying story.  Ultimately, this read like a YA novel rather than something designed for older readers. 2.5 stars.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Misogyny, Racism, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, and Sexism

Minor: War, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Toxic relationship

gkaltam's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Gaslighting

msvernier's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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: Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, and Mental illness