Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline

8 reviews

lisettemarie's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense fast-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Colonisation, and Child death

Moderate: Rape, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Murder, and Violence

thenextbookdilemma's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective 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? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Genocide, Forced institutionalization, Colonisation, Physical abuse, Confinement, Child death, and Trafficking

Moderate: Body horror

Minor: Death of parent, Cannibalism, Pregnancy, and Alcoholism

charrlee's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

4.0

When I opened The Marrow Thieves, it was definitely not the type of book I was anticipating. That being said, I really enjoyed the read! Cherie Dimaline has utilized her book to break open the lid on a very important conversation: what does means to have Indigenous futurity? Specifically, the implementation of Anishinabee (often referred to as "the language" in the book) throughout the book really held my attention. As I read The Marrow Thieves I found myself reflecting on Robin Wall Kimmerer's Braiding Sweetgrass, and I believe there is an important dialogue that can be had when connecting these two texts. After all, there is much to learn from the land and the language, and The Marrow Thieves will tell you that much.

Dimaline's book is extremely moving: from (found) family, reconnection to roots, and navigation through loss, there is truly so much to gain from reading her work. Though perhaps, what is most bone chilling about this book, is that we already know this story; it has happened before. Additionally, I found the read especially challenging because it made me rethink my definition of apocalypse. In a world that is all to eerily similar to our own, Dimaline makes you confront the fact that the apocalypse has already occurred, is continuing to occur, and will occur -- simultaneously, and specifically against Indigenous people. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Grief, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Racism, and Genocide

Moderate: Kidnapping, Body horror, and Violence

Minor: Trafficking and Child death

katrinky's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

2.5

this book was brutal, but the writing wasn't strong enough for it to totally land for me. the central plot point is clever (and devastating), but the book read like an idea the author had that wasn't fleshed out enough to make a whole book. this is one of those books that is close enough to being very good that it reminds you how freaking hard it is to write a very good novel.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Body horror, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Death, Genocide, and Child death

Moderate: Grief, Murder, Medical trauma, Violence, Trafficking, Sexual violence, Racism, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, and Gore

Minor: Rape

lady_valhella's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

This nook was amazing. It was fast. It was horrific fiction that could so easily be reality. One thing it for sure taught me was that the language that was stolen from is mine to reclaim! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Racism, Violence, Abandonment, Drug use, Hate crime, Trafficking, Body horror, Colonisation, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Child death, Death, Genocide, Grief, and Rape

I marked all of these topics as graphic not because the imagery is always real but because the implication is. Also, some of the imagery is very real, very violent and very disturbing but it is a story that should be read because the atrocities inflicted on the indigenous peoples of the western hemisphere is this real. We must all bare witness, at the very least.

cepbreed's review against another edition

dark emotional fast-paced

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

4.5

“It began as a rumor, that they had found a way to siphon the dreams right out of our bones, a rumor whispered every time one of us went missing, a rumor denounced every time their doctors sent us to hospitals and treatments centers never to return.”

 

So much about this book is traumatizing, it’s so hard to read. I say that, but no matter how evil the atrocities translated onto the paper I couldn't stop reading because of how beautifully Cherie Dimaline writes. Each coming-to story makes my heart physically ache, I feel like I know these characters and each of their lives is so personal to me. Thank you Dimaline for bringing them to life on these pages. I also loved having chapter titles. I feel like so many books forego them these days in favor of just the name of the POV character or nothing at all. Another element essential to the story and my enjoyment of it was all the foreshadowing. While in the dilapidated Four Winds the women of their group tell their stories, all of which are a dark premonition of the events of the following days. Those moments were harrowing. I love how Dimalinen made sure to highlight the voices of those women, and bring awareness to the mistreatment many like them suffer because of their presenting gender. The class on indigenous fiction that I read this book for has opened my eyes entirely to a whole new genre of books. I am unsure if I would've enjoyed this book as much as I did if I read it outside of a classroom context because my professor always offers very valuable insight on certain indigenous traditions that enriched the books meaning. For example the legend of the rougarou and its application to Minerva's story.

 

Minerva being taken absolutely killed me. This kind woman, understand her old age hindered their progress. She trusted in the younger generation to survive and sacrificed everything for them. I don’t have to see my own Harmoni in her to absolutely love the character but I do and it makes me all the more sad to see the consequences of her age. In the same way she is wise and essential to the survival of their culture her health is rapidly deteriorating. I dismissed her character before but now I admire her so much, one scene changed everything for me.

 

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Colonisation, Death of parent, Genocide, Grief, Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, Animal death, Death, Racism, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Body horror, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Violence, Trafficking, and Misogyny

Minor: Pregnancy

morganpearcy's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious tense fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

This is Dystopian Speculative Fiction written by an Indigenous author about Indigenous peoples after the climate crisis reaches a point where the world shuts down and most everything dies. Indigenous peoples all over the world are being hunted by white folx to harvest their bone marrow so that white folx (who have lost the ability to dream and are dying in droves) can dream again and survive.

One of the reasons why I love Dystopian Speculative Fiction so much is because I personally find it profoundly hopeful - the kind of thing I read when I need my faith in humanity restored. This book has moved me in so many ways. I couldn’t put it down. It explores what it is to be human. What it is to survive - and empathy. There are some really good topics explored, including:

- Creating your family of choice.
- Caring for an aging Elder. 
- Protecting children to let them be kids for as long as possible. 
-  Humanity and the motivations of those who have lost theirs. 
- Community repair and harm reduction, even when the world is burning down.
- What it means to have enough.

Highly recommend. Very applicable to today. This book is such a joy to read, and such a great exploration of indigeneity and our humanity. 

Be prepared with a box of tissues. And TW for chapter, “Wab’s Coming-To Story” for sexual assault. Surprisingly, handled delicately - but still very triggering.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Hate crime, Sexual assault, Colonisation, and Cultural appropriation

Moderate: Dementia, Ableism, Animal death, Body horror, Genocide, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Rape, Murder, Sexual violence, Torture, and Trafficking

kayleyhyde's review

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Death, Death of parent, and Child death

Moderate: Fatphobia, Gun violence, Animal death, and Torture

Minor: Body horror, Body shaming, and Rape