Reviews tagging 'Suicide'

Heaven by Mieko Kawakami

87 reviews

joysglavo's review against another edition

challenging hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide and Bullying

cheyennedowls's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying

Minor: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Gore, Grief, and Suicide

theramblingreader's review

dark emotional 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? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

The writing of this book itself is objectively great. However, the descriptions of violent bullying were so well written that they shook me. I couldn't finish this book for a while after one scene

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Violence, and Self harm

tangerinejellies's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

• 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

4.0

Not completely sure how to feel about this book, it was a very heavy read and some of the characters’ outlooks on the world were quite unsettling, though not impossible to understand. They’re kids who still have a lot of maturing to do, and don’t necessarily understand the world around them that well yet, so I can see how they’d think like that, which all the more adds to the sort of pain I felt reading this, witnessing the hardship of navigating the dark parts of the world and trauma and violence and things like that at such a young age. Rough. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Emotional abuse, Bullying, Violence, Sexual violence, Self harm, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Ableism, and Sexual content

Minor: Suicide

frankieclc's review against another edition

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, and Bullying

Moderate: Sexual content and Suicide

_misha_'s review

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Bullying, Blood, and Physical abuse

caroisreading's review

dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.5

This is a triggering story. It's unrelenting in its descriptions of bullying. As with all her novels, Mieko Kawakami writes so beautifully about tragedy and loneliness, and our humanity that's so capable of both destruction and healing. This is her most depressing pair of characters yet, two brave outcasts, not yet high schoolers.

Our narrator is a young boy who has a lazy eye, the victim of intense bullying and physical violence from the popular students. His fellow student Kojima reaches out to him one day through a letter, and she is revealed to be a similar victim of bullying, and is described to be unkempt and unwashed. Their friendship grows through sweet and simple letters, and soon conversations outside of school. In contrast, we experience their helplessness, as they are shells of themselves at school, bracing for the beatings each day. 

There is a conversation with one of the bullies, who proves to be a complete nihilist. He symbolizes the cold, emotionless, male antagonist who's all too familiar in our lives. It's every man for himself. Empathy is weakness. Kill or be killed. 

I can't praise enough Mieko's artistry, and her way of pulling us through emotions, and the confusion her characters feel. She is THE master of  female characters, as always. I especially loved Kojima and her strength, her frailty, her intelligence, her heart. I wanted to save her, though she was saving herself.

You'll appreciate this book if you like dark, intricate writing and characters, coming-of-age stories, and have been in an isolated period of your life.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Blood, Child abuse, Gore, Bullying, and Body shaming

Moderate: Suicide, Torture, Self harm, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual violence

plumblossom_'s review

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Bullying, Physical abuse, Cursing, Eating disorder, and Body shaming

nlh_tnr's review

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Violence, and Self harm

Moderate: Suicide, Rape, and Suicidal thoughts

carinaisabelle's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

5.0

This was a painful read. The violence against our main character, a 14 year ols boy who we never learn the name of - he could be anyone. The bullies are too good at hiding their violence. The violence made me sick to my stomach. I was angry and I cried. Knowing that this is the reality of many people.

When we first meet the 14 year old boy, he is beeing beaten up and bullie for his lazy eye. And Kawakami, through her narrator let's us know that this is a normal occurrence for him.

In the novel we also meet Kojima, a girl in the same class as our main character who is also bein  bullied. She reaches out to the MC, and at first it feels like our MC finally get a friend. One that truly understands him and supporst him. But alas, it was not meant to be.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Blood, and Violence

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Sexual violence

Minor: Eating disorder