Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

The People in the Trees by Hanya Yanagihara

49 reviews

vireojay's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

this book is deeply disturbing in many creative ways, but also ways that are all too familiar when dealing with colonially-minded white men. it’s rare that a book makes me physically cringe and shudder, but this one did several times. it was certainly original. it could be a little boring and repetitive at times, but still intriguing.

i wouldn’t say i enjoyed this book, but it is so disturbingly stark and honest in its abhorrence that you can’t help but keep reading. it was like seeing a horrible car crash that just keeps getting worse and being unable to look away until the final car has flipped over and the last person has been thrown from their seat into the road. it deals with several destructive ideologies that are all too relevant at present. the parallels to current events and the desolation of Indigenous cultures and lands was eerie and devastating.

it can be enjoyable or at least interesting to read a book where the protagonist is an awful person. sometimes there is enough nuance, enough charming qualities and character development, that it feels satisfying. however this narrator is just so terrible and is mostly oblivious to it. the few times he attempts to take responsibility or show remorse are ultimately abandoned as a result of his inherent selfishness. through the whole book you hope to understand the motivations of the narrator, you hope he will learn from his mistakes and he fails time and again. you’re also waiting for a “big reveal” of how the narrator ended up where he is now and i don’t know how else to put it, but it is more fucked up than you’re expecting. 

i never really write book reviews, so obviously this book struck a chord with me and gave me a lot to think about. to be clear, this review is not a criticism of the book as a whole. it is well-written, convincing and creative. it accomplishes what i believe the author set out to do, which is to make you feel big, uncomfortable emotions. also to write about very real things, that continue to happen to Indigenous people, in a way that blatantly highlights how absurdly cruel it all is. overall not a bad book, but very heavy 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Animal cruelty, Death, Mental illness, Ableism, Racism, Rape, Violence, Xenophobia, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Suicide

laiamai's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Sexual harassment, Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Animal death, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Incest, Physical abuse, Rape, and Sexual violence

abbielou's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Racism, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Rape, Sexism, and Sexual violence

salexi's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, and Colonisation

Moderate: Animal cruelty and Animal death

Minor: Misogyny, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, and Dementia

kvdb's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Rape, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Slavery, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Incest, Misogyny, Sexual violence, and Emotional abuse

msnopek's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Rape, Death, Dementia, Medical content, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Racism, and Sexual assault

beingzoraa's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse and Sexual assault

morimyths's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Animal death, Rape, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, and Animal cruelty

Moderate: Suicide

Minor: Death and Death of parent

emalillah's review against another edition

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Animal cruelty, Sexual content, Violence, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, and Sexual harassment

mayscue's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark slow-paced

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

1.0

Read the content warnings before even considering this book. (Spoilers in this review although it kind of is obvious from the beginning) I wish I could understand what other people liked about this book. Unfortunately it was simply too gross, too graphic, and too repulsive to enjoy really any of it. I don't know what the author wanted me to gain from it. I practically wanted to vomit after reading the end, and there was almost nothing good about this book except for some of the explorations which were largely overshadowed by the sexual abuse of minors, oddly racist language, and the most disgusting main character I've ever read. Wish I had abandoned this book earlier but I didn't know the final epilogue would be so graphic. I think you can accomplish plenty of literary goals without sexual violence against children,  but I guess that's just my personal opinion.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Suicide, Sexual violence, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Animal cruelty, Colonisation, and Physical abuse