Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai

78 reviews

hschlecht's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense

4.25

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Content Warnings

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Violence, Suicide attempt, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

goldenbeebookshop's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad slow-paced

3.0

It's hard to rate this book because there are some compelling things happening here, but it's hard to tell from the description that this novel is mostly about the realities of women who are assaulted and/or murdered, the men who more often than not get away with it, and the deeply flawed and racist judicial system. These are not tangential things- these are the main focus of the plot more than any mysterious aspect finding the real killer.
All evidence thus far does paint a bleak picture for women in America- and there's value to that being explored, I just don't know how I feel about it being hung on this mystery scaffolding. The main character's actions do prompt some questions about whether or not there's nuance when it comes to believing women, to penalizing men for the actions of the past and assessing whether there's a spectrum of behaviors that might warrant different actions, and what kind of justice or truth can be found in the court of public opinion in a time when anyone can have a podcast or YouTube channel.
There is some great writing here- little concise sentences here are there that completely capture the feeling of being young, or being lost, or a person struggling in the world.
The pacing is a little slow in the beginning, and Bode felt a little incomplete as a character. There are little pieces of things dropped in and abandoned that I was uncertain as to whether they were meant to serve as mini red herrings or if they were underdeveloped plot additions. The last quarter of the book did move a lot faster and I find myself eager to sit down and read for an hour straight, which I hadn't been as eager to do before.
I think it might be helpful for people to know going into this that this is a story that feels true in that justice is rarely found in white patriarchal contexts, vigilante justice while potentially satisfying isn't always accurate or successful, and there are ripples of grief and shame that impact family and friends because of the choices of one person that are inescapable. There's no real high note to end on here, which is real, but rare in a fictional mystery.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Cancer, Child death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Police brutality, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Classism

catlady94's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Sexual assault

hellocath's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective 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

a perfect meditation on the disfunction of the ‘justice’ system (particularly with regard to gender based violence and the way white men can get away with anything), #MeToo and the nuance required in examining power dynamics and abuse, the ethics of true crime storytelling, and the way high school has an unmatched and specifically fucked up impact on the psyche no matter how much therapy you go to. suggest this book to the weirdo in your life that doesn’t get why John Tory dating a staffer 30 years his senior is an abuse of power! also I’m not usually a big audiobook fan but this one is excellent; so well-narrated and very engrossing. please join my prayer circle for an Amy Adams screen adaptation starring Gillian Anderson tysm

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Blood, Murder, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Bullying, Infidelity, Racism, Sexual content, Violence, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Classism

Minor: Body shaming, Cancer, Self harm, Suicide, and Death of parent

sarahsbookss's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad 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? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

internationalreads's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective tense medium-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? Yes

4.0

A solid literary thriller that I probably wouldn’t have read if it were not by this author. Uses references to real life crimes against women to get a strong message across. The ending definitely surprised me. I’m not sure I cared that much about any of the characters, though.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

caseythereader's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.25

Thanks to Viking Books for the free advance copy of this book.

 - I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS FOR YOU is a bit of a "ripped from the headlines" novel, in that discourse about true crime's virtues and flaws is a recurring topic of debate these days. I found this fictional case to be quite compelling, layered as it was with issues of race, class, gender, and more. There's a lot to chew on.
- I didn't attend boarding school, but my college was insular in similar ways to the book's Granby school, which may be why I felt so drawn into this story. The way gossip slowly builds into truth over time rang true to me.
- It does get quite slow and introspective in the middle, but the revelations at the end had my mouth hanging open. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual violence, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

alylentz's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

 This is very possibly the best book I have read so far this year. I loved The Great Believers and was so pulled in by this synopsis, and somehow it managed to not just deliver everything I wanted but also surprise me in unexpected ways. I don't usually like books with podcasters or that focus too much on the true crime community... but here I was just blown away from the start. It was so thoughtful and nuanced on the complications of true crime and MeToo, but this book is also a real page-turner--once I started, it had my complete attention. Rebecca Makkai's characters are so sharply drawn, her ideas so well-articulated, and she has a real gift for empathy that even makes you feel for the characters you wouldn't expect. I can't say enough good things about it and I don't know how I will wait until February to talk to other people about it, but when I do, I will recommend it to readers who like literary mystery/crime novels (a la Tana French) with richly drawn settings... but more honestly I will recommend it to any patrons who will listen! 

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Death of parent

Minor: Eating disorder