Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Evil Eye by Etaf Rum

41 reviews

runningonwords415's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful 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

4.0

Oh how I missed Rum's narrative writing. I was immediately transported back to A Woman is No Man within minutes of starting the first chapter of Evil Eye, her style is just so definitive and notable. A visceral telling of generational trauma, toxic masculinity and patriarchal norms, empowering and empowered women, the complexity of this story is so layered and yet so "normal" it's a story many women and wives have heard - or lived - before.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Grief and Mental illness

martinj's review against another edition

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Grief, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, and Gaslighting

Minor: Death of parent

rozereads's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful 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

4.25

Difficult themes handled skillfully by the author

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Gaslighting

Moderate: Grief and Mental illness

Minor: Outing

shannnne_reads_words's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Racism, Sexism, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Death of parent, Death, and Abandonment

shay43geek's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Sexism, Misogyny, and Emotional abuse

queenkath32's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad

• Strong character development? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Sexism, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Infidelity, Domestic abuse, Colonisation, Grief, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Xenophobia

letsgolesbians's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad tense 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Islamophobia, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Grief, Gaslighting, Death of parent, Colonisation, and Physical abuse

mandi_lea's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective 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, Gaslighting, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Sexism, Racism, Misogyny, Xenophobia, and Grief

bookedbymadeline's review against another edition

emotional 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

I Listened to the audiobook version and the narrator did an amazing job! I loved this maybe even more than Rum’s first book🩵 I can’t wait to see what she writes next!

Evil Eye is told through the POV of Yara, our MC, both in the present but also sometimes switches to her journal entries reflecting on/flashing back to her childhood and relationship with her family. The flashbacks also share stories of Yara visiting Palestine and her grandparents experience in refugee camps following the Nakba.

I enjoyed getting to learn more about Palestine and Palestinian culture. The food descriptions and imagery as a whole was very well written! I also enjoyed the discussions on white feminism and the idea of “saving Arab women.” The character development and getting to know Yara, as well as the side characters, was incredible. I really felt like I got to know everyone in this novel!

The novel was very insightful, heartbreaking, and thought-provoking novel. Giving readers a complex look at facing childhood trauma, marriage, mother-daughter relationships. and finding your voice. I highly recommend Evil Eye, especially if you love complex characters and deeply emotional/moving stories!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Mental illness, Domestic abuse, and Colonisation

Moderate: Death of parent, Racism, Islamophobia, and Grief

Minor: Infidelity and Suicidal thoughts

brewdy_reader's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful 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

4.5

𝘓𝘪𝘵𝘍𝘪𝘤 • 𝘎𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘶𝘮𝘢 •  ⁣𝘗𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘏𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 • 𝘎𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘤

"𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯, 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘩𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘩𝘦𝘳."

Evil Eye is LitFic at its finest: it feels so real that it could be true, it could be someone's memoir, maybe someone close to you, maybe even yours, or mine. Every child of immigrants, every mother, every woman, anyone in any marginalized group, can find something relatable within these pages. Addressing Palestinian history, generational trauma, gender expectations and inequities, mental health and stigmas, shame and grief and guilt, Arab stereotypes, and lots of other tough topics, this is also a story of empowerment and how to heal.

Then there is the mouth-watering food. In fact, the only thing that Yara's husband Fadi and I see eye-to-eye on is her cooking: a gastronomic explosion of flavors. You will smell the aroma and taste the spices as you read. In fact I'm hungry now. 

And Silas. 🥹

There is also art and creating and Frida Kahlo. There's instagram versus reality and what it means to live an authentic life. There's the isolation of not fitting the mold, not fitting in. How to live a life true to yourself and not what someone else wants for you. How to see that you don't need to be fixed because you're not broken.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Sexism, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Domestic abuse, Islamophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, and Violence