Reviews tagging 'Body shaming'

Heaven by Mieko Kawakami

74 reviews

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

mimi_jaja's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.0

This gave me flashbacks to reading DNA in school

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Ableism, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Bullying

Moderate: Body shaming, Sexual harassment, Self harm, and Eating disorder

llorona's review

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-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

4.5

I would describe this as beautifully raw, painful, dark and melancholy. 

Mieko Kawakami’s writing style is simply art. I greatly enjoyed the book despite it truly breaking my heart. I loved this book so much and the absolute tenderness in which the characters are written to life as complex, flawed beings with often conflicting, selfish, broken, HUMAN ideas and identities. It’s incredibly sad and raw and a surprisingly short read. I felt super reflective after reading this book. A great view into a perspective I had never considered. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Physical abuse, Bullying, Body shaming, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual content

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

fairytomie's review

challenging dark emotional inspiring sad tense fast-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

4.25

This book truly ripped my heart out. This is my introduction to Kawakami’s work and i’m in love with how poetic her writing is. 

Justice for these characters and the fact we don’t know what happened to Kojima is so heart-wrenching.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Sexual harassment, Body shaming, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Violence, Bullying, Ableism, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Self harm

Minor: Death of parent, Vomit, and Death

stllyltc's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-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

3.5

This is an odd book; as I see it, it brings out perspectives worth reflecting on, but I find it infuriating that no justice was done. Being seen as different should not be a reason to be treated awfully, simply because they wanted to? It was hypocritical at most and selfish at best. They stuck to their own definitions, but it's frustrating to read something that seems to offer insight but provides nothing at the same time.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Body horror, Confinement, Body shaming, Bullying, Torture, Vomit, Abandonment, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Medical content

rockmelon's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.75

listen, if there's a hell, we're in it. and if there's a heaven, we're already there. this is it.

unhappamine & nihilismapamine 
with a touch of happamine & reflectpamine

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Blood, Physical abuse, and Bullying

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual content

Minor: Eating disorder

roosmarleen's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, Blood, Vomit, Body shaming, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, Self harm, Mental illness, Gaslighting, Excrement, Emotional abuse, and Confinement

letheii's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

the narrator wouldve top kinned shinji ikari

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, and Mental illness

Moderate: Violence, Blood, Body shaming, Eating disorder, and Vomit

Minor: Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Cancer

zarlynsnook's review against another edition

reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.25

Feeling sad and angry after reading this.the kind of book that just straight up stabbed me in the chest and left me in agony. yes this book is that sad.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Bullying

Moderate: Body shaming, Sexual content, and Sexual assault