Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky by Lesley Nneka Arimah

8 reviews

callmeash's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

I couldn’t put this book down. Each story just as beautiful and heart wrenching as the last. Arimah grabs hold of grief and doesn’t let go, telling each story with such intensity. My favorite story was “Light”, about a father’s will to keep his daughter safe from the world. Almost every story centers around women and how society only notices their flaws. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Sexual assault

sarahbsews's review

reflective 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, and Child abuse

Minor: Car accident and Death of parent

kananineko's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• 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: Death of parent, Child death, Death, Grief, Blood, Classism, Violence, Abandonment, Sexism, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, and Misogyny

Moderate: Suicide attempt, War, Car accident, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

Minor: Gun violence

dakotajade's review

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide and Sexual assault

moonlitemuseum's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-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? Yes

4.5

The platter of misery served up by Lesley Nneka Arimah is so potent and rich that I could barely stomach it. It took me two tries to get through this anthology of short stories in full, but what a range! So many left me feeling haunted, empty, gnawing, but thoroughly sustained in spite of that.

I originally heard the titular "What It Means When A Man Falls from the Sky" on Levar Burton's podcast and it shook me to the core. A world where math=empathy, where our current climate troubles turn global politics inside-out, where grief is empirically indigestible—i loved everything about the anxious world she wove in this story. It hits like a bullet every time.

Most of the stories take a grain of sadness in the lives of women and inspect it under a microscope. How do they fail themselves? How are they failed by the societies around them? How do they continue on? I often dreaded the pause that signaled the end of the story, knowing its characters would be left there, suspended in their grief. It's incredibly effective work. I can't wait to read more from this author.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage

Moderate: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Death, Sexism, Grief, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Abandonment, Violence, Physical abuse, Medical trauma, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Child death, Body shaming, Blood, and Bullying

kaizw's review

dark emotional sad fast-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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and War

emilyeehaw's review

dark reflective

4.0

OPRAAHHHHHHH that was a good collection of short stories! i feel like recently i’ve been struggling with short story collections and it’s seemed like a lot of them are forgettable. but this had BANGER AFTER BANGER. so many of these made me go “….now HOLD ON A MINUTE :O” 

some of my favorites include: the future looks good, second chances, and what is a volcano?

i was really impressed with this author’s ability to write such unique stories that still felt cohesive to one another. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Sexual assault and Miscarriage

etosaurus's review

dark sad

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Grief

Moderate: Pedophilia, Xenophobia, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Child death

Minor: Infidelity