Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

Terminal Boredom by Izumi Suzuki

4 reviews

pran's review against another edition

dark reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

I wasn't sure what to expect from it, but I really enjoyed it. The writing style felt much more blunt than what I usually read, but there were some really beautiful sentences in there, and they often caught me by surprise, which made them all the more punchy. I loved the ideas Suzuki played with in the stories, and the ambivalence she feels towards the developments in technology in her stories. So much of what she wrote was prescient, in an almost scary way. I am excited to read around this book, as I know there has been some interesting criticism and theory around it. The influences of Suzuki's own life on her stories were really interesting to read and I have never seen the sexual/romantic relationships between men and women explored in quite the same way in any other speculative fiction I've read. Interesting to compare and contrast the ideas in Octavia Butler or Margaret Atwood's work with this, and the differences between the American second-wave feminist sci-fi and this Japanese work.
I'm also looking forward to reading her other book Hit Parade of Tears.

If you are interested, there is a very good article about Terminal Boredom on LitHub.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use and Drug abuse

Moderate: Mental illness

Minor: Sexual assault

alsoapples's review against another edition

dark lighthearted tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Sexual assault

Moderate: Violence, Death, Toxic friendship, Xenophobia, Forced institutionalization, Infidelity, Murder, Alcoholism, Addiction, Alcohol, and Drug use

dsapho's review against another edition

dark reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.5

I was a bit disappointed by this short story collection. The world building was enjoyable in each of stories but I didn't much like any of the characters. All the main characters seem to share an intense apathy about the world and other people, that never seems to resolve or change. They all seem to be in the midst of a deep depression, but you don't get to see them come out of it. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Sexual assault, Suicide, and Rape

ardour's review against another edition

adventurous dark inspiring mysterious fast-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction

Moderate: Death, Murder, Xenophobia, Alcohol, Drug use, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Colonisation, Abandonment, Blood, Body shaming, and Eating disorder

Minor: Suicide, Death of parent, Rape, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Blood, and Domestic abuse