Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

There There by Tommy Orange

37 reviews

nataliavonhaus's review

dark emotional hopeful informative fast-paced

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

5.0

Harrowing book, details a lot of multigenerational trauma that plagues the urban native people in a way that provides insight into a tight knit community. With Orange’s ability to poetically depict life’s draws, both the good and bad, the reader leaves with a look into seeing the humanity in those you don’t expect and may be  accept. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Addiction

siaeme12's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-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

4.25

Other people here have explained far better than I could so I'll leave it at this: There There was lyrically written and thought provoking. It was real, intense, and well woven. Definitely recommend, but know that there is discussion of substance abuse, violence against women, gun violence, poverty, and other things that come alongside deep rooted systemic oppression. This isn't a light read by any means, but it is certainly an important one

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Gun violence, Death, Drug use, Alcoholism, Addiction, Grief, and Mass/school shootings

Moderate: Colonisation, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Racism, and Physical abuse

Minor: Cancer

arood's review against another edition

challenging dark funny sad tense fast-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: Child abuse, Alcoholism, Mass/school shootings, Gun violence, and Colonisation

Moderate: Domestic abuse and Sexual violence

caitlink's review

emotional sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Gun violence, Violence, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault

spicycronereads's review against another edition

funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

A beautiful and heartbreaking read. 

The narrative is made up of many different points of view of “urban Indians,” mostly in and around Oakland, CA. With the multiple POVs you see the vast interconnectedness of the characters that leads toward the climactic event but you do lose out on a sense of depth with any given character. Nor do they have time to develop. So it is more like sketches of the various actors who all meet at the powwow event in the climax. 

Each of the characters is dealing with their indigenous identity as well as various class-based and family traumas, that are undoubtedly connected to the historic violence against Native Americans. I do wish that with one or two characters we could have focused more on community, or their successes, or joy. The focus was almost entirely anchored in trauma and deficit, exploring the “there there” that is gone. I suspect that contemporary indigenous identity is more multi-dimensional than that. 

There are many moments of poetry throughout the book. One of my favorite lines is “To cry is to waste the feeling. He needs to dance with it. Crying is for when there’s nothing left to do.” 

The ending is ambiguous and I didn’t mind that though there were a couple of loose ends I would have liked to have seen tied up.

Like, what does the spider legs mean? Did Blue and Edwin ever figure out their relationship? Did Tony die?

Overall a gorgeous read. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence and Racism

Moderate: Violence, Domestic abuse, Drug use, and Abandonment

Minor: Child abuse, Sexual violence, Abortion, and Animal death

kaybee23's review

emotional informative reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Gun violence

Moderate: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Grief

Minor: Fatphobia

litliz's review

challenging dark emotional informative reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Drug use, Ableism, Body horror, Death, Cursing, Gaslighting, Pregnancy, Racism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Rape, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Genocide, Murder, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Violence, Abandonment, Body shaming, Grief, Addiction, Blood, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Toxic friendship, Alcoholism, Car accident, Death of parent, Dysphoria, and Suicide

Moderate: Abortion

jennaviolet's review

emotional sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mass/school shootings and Gun violence

Moderate: Cultural appropriation, Death, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Colonisation, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, and Alcohol

Minor: Murder, Sexual violence, Rape, Mental illness, Kidnapping, and Domestic abuse

mass shooting

idesofjaim's review

challenging emotional sad tense medium-paced

• 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? Yes

4.25

An incredibly powerful book to finish off my 2023 with. I’m grateful for the cast of characters in the beginning (that was easy enough to reference back to since I was reading the physical edition) in order to help keep everything straight. The twists and turns of how everyone came together at the powwow reeled me in.

I do agree with other reviewers that I wish there was more for the women of the book, and that some things had been handled much differently.

I’m also frustrated that the ending is basically a cliffhanger. We get invested only to not see the other side of the shooting. Part of me wonders if that is truly on purpose, that we don’t get to have these truly joyful reunions and feel lighter and brighter about things. I do think the bookends of the novel being Tony is an elegant setup.

Definitely a heavy read, be sure to check trigger warnings. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Sexual violence, Murder, and Gun violence

izzykai's review

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence and Gun violence