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kathleenivy's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Grief, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Child abuse, Lesbophobia, and Sexism
Moderate: Death, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Torture, Abandonment, Self harm, Classism, Kidnapping, Colonisation, and Medical content
Minor: Cancer, Infidelity, and Miscarriage
lesbianlis's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
Graphic: Bullying, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Misogyny, Child abuse, and Suicide
Moderate: Racial slurs, Lesbophobia, and Gaslighting
kelisabeth's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Lesbophobia, Alcoholism, Antisemitism, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Homophobia, Infertility, Abandonment, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Body shaming, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Biphobia, Blood, Death, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
elwhits's review
- 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
Graphic: Confinement, Child abuse, Racism, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Racial slurs, Misogyny, Child death, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, and Sexism
Minor: Vomit, Violence, Physical abuse, Self harm, Miscarriage, and Lesbophobia
apollinares's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Frida isn't a likeable character. She's convinced us of it on page one, and she's convinced herself of it long before. As someone whose mother made mistakes she deeply regrets, and as someone who has had many conversations with her about what those mistakes did to both of us, I genuinely feel for Frida. I've seen other reviews condemn her, and it's really interesting to me where a reader would draw the line on what they find unacceptable in a parent, and how much they're willing to dehumanise a mother/discredit her emotional needs, when they learn the mother has made a mistake that caused her child harm. I'm not trying to excuse abuse, it's just fascinating how quickly someone's empathy for a person, and their sense of nuance, disappears when the person in the wrong is a parent. I mean, people are rating the book lower because the protagonist has done something wrong and that makes the book supposedly bad. The point is right there, guys, come on...
The way blame is placed in the book is interesting to me, too - how the women are treated as irredeemable, and how the state would rather interfere once harm has been caused (and arguably proceed to traumatise the child even more) than offer parents mental health support before mistakes like this can occur. It's infuriating to experience and to process, and when the fathers were introduced, I became so much angrier knowing how much easier they supposedly have it.
The ending is tragic and inevitable. I don't know how else Chan could have ended this book. Frida's unravelling is addicting, and sad, and I couldn't look away the whole time.
Graphic: Suicide, Child abuse, Infidelity, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Miscarriage, Misogyny, Xenophobia, Bullying, Medical content, Mental illness, Alcohol, Lesbophobia, Medical trauma, Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, and Physical abuse
Minor: Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Violence, and Vomit
ksomers's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
HATED pretty much all of the characters - at times I felt empathetic towards Frieda but her actions and words at some points just really annoyed me. I didn’t find myself cheering for her in the end and I think I had hoped to have that.
Great commentary on the expectations of mothers by society and how they differ from the expectations of fathers.
Overall would recommend the book!
Moderate: Lesbophobia, Suicide attempt, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Abandonment, Child abuse, and Miscarriage
alliecat1915's review against another edition
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Sexism, Suicide, Biphobia, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Grief, Homophobia, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Racial slurs, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Death, Forced institutionalization, and Lesbophobia
islabjb'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? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Suicide, Suicide attempt, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Abandonment, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: War, Cursing, Drug abuse, Forced institutionalization, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Chronic illness, Sexual content, Miscarriage, Mental illness, Classism, Vomit, Racial slurs, Pregnancy, Confinement, Cancer, Gaslighting, Lesbophobia, and Infidelity
alisonvh'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? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Ableism, Blood, Eating disorder, Suicide, Classism, Death, Gaslighting, Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, and Self harm
Minor: Alcohol, Blood, Cancer, Chronic illness, Rape, and Vomit
laynemandros's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Moderate: Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Bullying, Child death, Forced institutionalization, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, Ableism, Child abuse, Classism, Confinement, Gaslighting, Grief, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Cursing, Emotional abuse, and Pregnancy