Reviews tagging 'Racism'

And Then She Fell by Alicia Elliott

40 reviews

savvylit's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective 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

And Then She Fell is a beautiful horror novel. Yes, beautiful. Elliott describes new motherhood, parental loss, indigenous identity, microaggressions, toxic marriage, and intergenerational hope. Each of these topics is blended to create an incredibly believable and complicated main character in Alice. I was simultaneously devastated and grateful for this book's ending.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Racism, Gaslighting, Addiction, Colonisation, Death of parent, Mental illness, and Grief

mgudaval's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicide attempt, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Racism

Minor: Drug abuse

jessicakornelsen's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Drug abuse, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Death of parent, Cannibalism, Racism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Cultural appropriation, Suicidal thoughts, Misogyny, Colonisation, Classism, Racial slurs, Genocide, and Body horror

realityczar's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: Alcoholism, Injury/Injury detail, Addiction, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, and Mental illness

Minor: Cannibalism

georgiaaa's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective 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

Loved the story, loved the unreliable narrator. Only rated lower because I wanted more horror!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Mental illness, Racism, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Body horror, Cannibalism, and Addiction

tropic_anaaa's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

bookdragon217's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective 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

4.5

"Whenever she falls, they will prepare the space for her to land. Just as she will for them, your mother, your sister, and you. This is the connection and love that slides between all hardships and gives even the toughest life humor, meaning, heart, heft. This is the unspoken covenant of Native women." 

And Then She Fell by Alicia Elliott was an incredible read. Elliott's storytelling was spellbinding and I enjoyed the way she blended elements of  horror, sci-fi and mystery I to this tale. Alice was a captivating protagonist and one I won't easily forget. This one tackled heavy themes of Native motherhood, mental illness, racism, alcoholism, forced removal and adoption of babies, MMIW2S issues, cultural appropriation and erasure of history in academia and white savior complex. The way Eliott personified these as true horror was so vivid that I felt like I was in Alice's mind and thoughts the while time. I felt her dread and mistrust. I couldn't help but relate to her concerns about her sanity and motherhood because BIPOC people always have their fitness to parent scrutinized by racist white people. Native peoples especially have a long history of having rheir children taken away forever. 

I was not expecting the time shift and plot twist towards the last section of the book, but this was brought the main themes full circle. This is where you see the resilience of Native women and their unwavering support for each other. Here is where you see how it is through their Native ways of life and connection to their community that they support each other through healing their traumas. It is also how they support and protect each other. Elliott also notes that Native women also get hurt by Native men, not just outsiders. For the women in this story, their medicine is each other and this is the legacy they leave to future generations. The key to their survival is to stay connected to their roots. 

This is the first of Elliott's books I read but I am so excited to read her other books because her writing style really spotlights the power of Native storytelling. Her voice is commanding, authentic and takes up all the space in a room. I highly recommend you read this one.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism and Mental illness

Minor: Body shaming and Alcoholism

gabybenitez's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful informative reflective sad tense slow-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

4.0

This book is stunning! Such an incredible depiction of mental illness, postpartum depression, anti-Indigenous racism, motherhood, and it weaves in Mohawk creation stories/worldview/storytelling and understanding of time as non-linear in a way that is ambitious, groundbreaking, and turns the thriller and concept of unreliable narrator on its head! Impeccable critique of white supremacy culture of isolationism and individualism as well. Just gorgeous — I was crying by the unexpected end! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Genocide, Racism, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Genocide

pomoevareads's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.0

And Then She Fell by Mohawk author Alicia Elliott is both simple and complex in its structure. It begins with a Mohawk woman (Alice) marrying a white man who studies indigenous culture, moves off the rez to a posh Toronto neighbourhood and has a baby. Alice struggles to connect to her daughter and descends into a psychosis where she believes others are out to take her daughter away from her. Then the story changes to one that takes place inside the time space web where each string is a different path and has a different outcome. The story becomes more difficult here as the characters mingle within the multiverse. Alice is guided to complete writing the Haudenosaunee Creation story which will affect future generations. Although future is also now, complex as you might see. 

For personal reasons, this book took me almost a week to finish reading and likely because of this I dropped parts of the thread now and then. Elliott writes in her acknowledgements that she has her own personal story of being disconnected. I felt the urge of the character of Alice within the prose as she battled against herself. 

I enjoyed reading the author’s matrilineal characters’ stories and how each woman was supported by the others. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Racism, Addiction, and Alcohol

drownedinfictionx's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

L

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, and Cannibalism

Moderate: Police brutality, Racism, Alcohol, Medical content, Addiction, Grief, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Body horror, Child death, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Gore, Dysphoria, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Colonisation, Classism, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Blood, and Suicidal thoughts