Reviews tagging 'Suicidal thoughts'

There There by Tommy Orange

16 reviews

buttercat42's review

emotional sad fast-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Mass/school shootings, Gun violence, Suicide, Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, and Death

felofhe's review

dark emotional funny reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Chronic illness, Classism, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Violence, Ableism, Cursing, Death, Genocide, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Sexism, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Bullying, Death of parent, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Blood, Gore, Gun violence, Pregnancy, Body shaming, War, Car accident, Child abuse, Colonisation, Gaslighting, Medical content, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

moriahleigh's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Alcohol, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Abandonment, Mass/school shootings, Addiction, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Pregnancy, and Sexual assault

Minor: Cancer and Car accident

chloe_hazel's review

dark informative reflective tense 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence

Moderate: Addiction, Suicide, Rape, Mental illness, Xenophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Racism, Murder, Mass/school shootings, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Drug use, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Death, Colonisation, Alcoholism, Alcohol, and Abortion

faduma's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Colonisation, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Murder, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Mass/school shootings, and Self harm

gilnean's review

dark emotional reflective sad 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Excrement, Murder, Gore, Death, Genocide, Colonisation, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Fatphobia, Cursing, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Child death, Alcoholism, Grief, Alcohol, Addiction, Drug abuse, Racism, Gun violence, Suicide, Drug use, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, and Mass/school shootings

Moderate: Ableism, Cancer, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Sexism, Sexual assault, Rape, Death of parent, Medical content, Car accident, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Terminal illness, and Pregnancy

Minor: Pedophilia, Torture, Abandonment, Abortion, Self harm, Classism, Kidnapping, Confinement, Child abuse, Mental illness, Body horror, and Religious bigotry

ashylibrarian's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative sad 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

I finished the audiobook of There There by Tommy Orange yesterday. The stories are raw. They are real. They are emotional. 

Orange tells the story of twelve (12) characters who live intertwined lives with one another. They all  attend a powwow in Oakland, California, for different reasons, though their lives are not all to different from one another. 

I was immediately drawn in to the ties and knots that connected each character together. Orange crafted the lives of each character so individualistically but also so very interconnectedly. 

I won’t make any spoilers here, but the ending truly ripped a piece of me and left me frustrated, sad, upset, and confused. These stories may be fictional, but I can only assume there is  truth behind the words that Orange wrote, sharing Native voices and stories, expanding hidden truths, and exposing unseen traumas. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Medical trauma, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Murder, Addiction, Alcoholism, Violence, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Blood, Body shaming, Mass/school shootings, and Gun violence

Moderate: Abortion and Pregnancy

laurao's review

dark sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Abandonment, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Suicide, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexism, Self harm, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Rape, Religious bigotry, Racism, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Murder, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Mass/school shootings, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Gore, Genocide, Fatphobia, Excrement, Drug use, Drug abuse, Death of parent, Death, Cursing, Car accident, Cancer, Body shaming, Blood, and Addiction

Minor: War and Xenophobia

The characters were numb and isolated. It’s an important topic, but it was just hard to read.

savvylit's review

dark emotional sad 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

5.0

There There is heartbreaking, vivid, and contains the most well-executed multiple points of view that I have ever read. Each individual character is fully-formed with their own voice and personal history. In the scope of the novel, they all experience the full spectrum of human emotion: dissociation, strength, desperation, fear, pride, violence, passion, shame, resistance, joy, love... All of these feelings are universal. However, the way that Orange has centered these feelings within multiple Urban Indian identities is wholly unique. - Unique not only to this book but unique to each character and their own distinct connections to their culture.

Though the strength of this novel is definitely in the characterization, the plot is also unforgettable. The events of this novel are emotional, tense, and dark. Be sure to check the content warnings before reading There There.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mass/school shootings, Sexual assault, Rape, Death, Grief, Alcoholism, Gun violence, and Murder

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Genocide, and Drug use

seawarrior's review

dark emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-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

5.0

There There is unlike any book I've read before. Within it, Orange weaves together the lives of twelve Native characters from Oakland, setting up a searing finale we are left to dread from the first chapter. The novel is preluded by a nonfiction essay telling the true history and horror of colonization in the past, and followed by an interlude describing the modern weight of colonization, and the significance of powwows as a place of togetherness for Native people of all tribes. I've never seen a book set up this way before and think it was a wise choice, as the essays provided information I had not previously known, but was essential to understanding the world There There aimed to reflect. 

Orange's skill and detail creating each of his characters is impressive to say the least. He writes from multiple perspectives and points in time, giving each person their own distinct voice and tone when telling their stories. The problems these characters are living through are interconnected but diverse, even among family members. Yet Orange never fails to get within the minds of these very different people, pressing the reader to understand them all, even those who we know will threaten the safety of the Powwow. He pulls no punches when describing tragedy, illness and grief, but still provides his characters with opportunity for hope and peace whenever possible. This is one of the most effectively written books I've ever read and I highly recommend it, but please note the content warnings below. Alcoholism especially was described with heavy detail, so if that's something you're susceptible to you may want to read with caution. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body shaming, Drug abuse, Fatphobia, Genocide, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Murder, Colonisation, Pregnancy, Suicide, Racism, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, and Misogyny