Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

The Memory Police by Yōko Ogawa

30 reviews

mariavdl's review

challenging mysterious sad

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement and Emotional abuse

Minor: Death, Infidelity, Rape, and Terminal illness

avie_1's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

2.75

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Abandonment, Physical abuse, Grief, Police brutality, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, Death, Gaslighting, and Deportation

Minor: Death of parent

tashba's review

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Rape, Kidnapping, and Emotional abuse

katilh's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse

talonsontypewriters's review against another edition

dark reflective tense slow-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Kidnapping, Police brutality, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Body horror, Death of parent, Death, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Torture, Murder, Medical content, Animal death, and Gore

Natural disasters (earthquake, tsunami). Enforced memory loss, unreality.

annorabrady's review

dark reflective slow-paced

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

2.75

The book was an interesting premise but I had more questions than answers at the end. I expected some kind of explanation for what was happening, why the police were there enforcing it, why certain people were immune, etc. But instead it ended with just as much, if not less, knowledge of the events as it started. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Confinement, Sexual violence, Death of parent, Death, Gaslighting, and Police brutality

ek4therin4h's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement

Moderate: Police brutality

Minor: Sexual violence, Grief, Emotional abuse, and Death

serendipity421's review against another edition

dark sad slow-paced

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

3.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Police brutality, Toxic relationship, Ableism, Emotional abuse, Body horror, Dementia, Grief, and Trafficking

Moderate: Death of parent and Sexual assault

hannahnasir's review

mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

One of Ogawa’s best works for sure. This book was real dystopia, without being so intense it was indigestible. I couldn’t put the book down. It kept me on my toes. And as I approached the end, I didn’t want it to. Not because it was so good (it was) I didn’t want it to end, but because for the first time in a very long time a book scared me. I felt genuine, eerily gentle fear. The way Ogawa packed in so much emotion into an environment that was anything but emotional was so impressive. Her ability to pin importance and value and emotional permanence to every day objects, and to make a story out of it is something I believe you won’t see anywhere else. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse and Police brutality

mae55's review

mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.25

this book was very somber and i grew to really like it. it's about powerlessness and inevitability, using the main character's personal and creative stories to display this. i found this book very moving and was not expecting to like it as much as i was. the author also uses imagery very effectively (i'm normally someone who skips over the nature descriptions, but i found these ones very succinct and effective). this is a read that will stay with me for a while.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Rape, and Kidnapping