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hedsek's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Violence, Death, Genocide, Grief, Homophobia, Infidelity, Murder, Police brutality, and War
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Blood, and Car accident
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Addiction, Alcohol, Colonisation, Drug use, Mass/school shootings, Racial slurs, Racism, and Sexual content
katiewhocanread's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Torture, War, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, and Homophobia
Moderate: Animal death and Child death
nialiversuch's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Hate crime, Murder, Drug use, Classism, Cursing, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Addiction, Alcohol, Body horror, Animal death, Blood, Car accident, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Grief, Homophobia, Mental illness, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Torture, Police brutality, Sexism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Violence, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, and War
Minor: Sexual harassment, Misogyny, and Sexual assault
laurenkimoto's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
I can understand why this won a Booker Prize and I can agree with that but overall wasn’t my favourite book.
Graphic: Child death, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Animal cruelty, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Colonisation, Confinement, Drug use, Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Car accident, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Genocide, and Grief
issyd23's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Giving major Cantik itu luka/Beauty is a wound vibes: magical realism at the height of violence of the civil war.
A must read for anyone wanting to know more about one of the bloodiest civil wars of the 20th century.
Graphic: Classism, Colonisation, Death of parent, Abandonment, Addiction, Death, Genocide, Sexism, Suicide attempt, Grief, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Police brutality, Sexual violence, Violence, Xenophobia, Hate crime, Homophobia, Murder, Religious bigotry, Suicide, Torture, Toxic friendship, Infidelity, Medical content, Physical abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Drug use, Mental illness, and War
georgieleighreads's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Violence, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Colonisation, Blood, War, Physical abuse, Genocide, Child death, Car accident, Torture, Suicide, Police brutality, Gore, Death, Toxic relationship, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Sexual assault
hannahjb's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Death
Minor: Grief, Violence, and War
natverse's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Death, Violence, and War
Moderate: Islamophobia, Homophobia, Blood, Genocide, Gun violence, Grief, Animal death, and Murder
This is the nature of this book, it's about death, grief and a lot of screwed up things in history in Sri Lanka, but it's also not shying away from these real things that would have happened.emjbarnes's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Genocide, Gore, Death, Police brutality, Racism, Murder, Infidelity, Gun violence, Child death, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Suicide, Torture, and War
Moderate: Car accident, Classism, Death of parent, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, and Sexism
Minor: Colonisation, Confinement, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug use, and Fire/Fire injury
2treads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Call it cultural preference, experience, or influence, but I love a ghost/duppy/spirit-led story. A story that is solely told from the perspective of a recently departed soul that now needs to remember how they died, who killed them, and why.
What I loved about Karunatilaka's take are the lingering vulnerabilities that stay with Maali. He has as much control here in the afterlife as he did while alive. He learns that the spiritual world is just as hierarchical and beholden to power and standing much like the human world.
He is honest in his portrayal of the aftermath and lingering scars of ethnic violence. And though he injects a dry humour, the reader is fully immersed in this broken society.
This was a vividly told story of searching, loss, guilt, and acknowledgment.
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Murder, Violence, and War
Minor: Torture, Kidnapping, and Grief