Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

95 reviews

tinny's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

Stunning. Not a single word misplaced. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Death, Religious bigotry, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Domestic abuse

mirandaleighhhh's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

This was very heavy and the events were difficult to read. I have found myself thinking of this almost daily since finishing. So much of it was through the lens of children which made it both devastating and incredibly interesting. Reading afterward that there was a lawsuit against the author in her home state (now dropped) with charges of obscenity is not entirely surprising - more, it solidifies the whole point of the story that needed to be told, and the stories in real life that have been silenced. 

It's hard to rate this for enjoyment...it was profoundly depressing. But it is solid in its execution and deserves a 4 at least.

The imagery was 10/10...I annotated so much but these are some of my favorites.

"So small god laughed a hollow laugh and skipped away cheerfully. Like a rich boy in shorts. He whistled, kicked stones. The source of his brittle elation was the relative smallness of his misfortune. He climbed into people's eyes and became an exasperating expression."

"Liquid ache spread under her skin, and she walked out of the world like a witch, to a better, happier place."

"Pointed in the wrong direction, trapped outside their own history and unable to retrace their steps because their footprints had been swept away."

"War has made us adore our conquerors and despise ourselves."

"Ammu flew through her dream on heavy, shuddering wings, and stopped to rest just under the skin of it."

"If you're happy in a dream Ammu, does it count?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Death, Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Gore, Police brutality, Body horror, Grief, Colonisation, and Domestic abuse

hellodebbies's review against another edition

3.5

I have a love-hate relationship with this book... Tho I loved the 6-7 chapter and the ending 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Police brutality, Death, Adult/minor relationship, Violence, Colonisation, Incest, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Torture, and Vomit

Minor: Torture, Death of parent, and Domestic abuse

meghancolbert's review against another edition

challenging 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

5.0

Arundhati Roy’s writing is exquisite. She writes as if the plot is a block of marble that she is slowly chiseling away at. The story does not unfold in chronological order, and the narrative subtly switches between past and present (sometimes you have to pay attention to small details to know which decade you are in). Despite the constant shifting, I was never confused about what was happening or where the author was leading me. I could see the final masterpiece emerging from the block of marble bit by bit. Arundhati Roy paints an incredibly detailed and nuanced picture of generational trauma, family dysfunction, and the corrosive natures of jealousy, grief, and guilt. This is the story of fraternal twins Estha and Rahel, who have their childhood innocence violently stolen from them by the adults who were supposed to protect them. As adults, Estha and Rahel reunite and struggle to repair their once-inseparable bond. As they battle their demons, they make a remarkably destructive choice that endangers them both. 
I appreciate that Roy refused to sugar coat the devastating effects of trauma on the human psyche, and resisted the common temptation to force happy endings on her characters. This book will disturb and sadden you, but at the same time will prompt you to reflect deeply on human nature, love, rebellion, and free will. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Murder, Incest, Sexual assault, Racism, Grief, Pedophilia, Police brutality, Domestic abuse, Child death, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Sexual content

annatan's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Police brutality, Child death, Classism, Racism, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Death of parent, Colonisation, Xenophobia, Sexism, Religious bigotry, and Grief

autumn_wind's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Pedophilia, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Incest

cassreading's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

4.0

This book was an excruciatingly slow read for me. If you're looking for likeable characters or a suspenseful plot that makes the time fly by, this may not be a great pick for you.

But I really liked it. I loved it's exploration of colonialism and gender and selfhood, of Borders and Boundaries and the people who cross them. The prose is expansive, almost poetic at times. Roy plays with language, in ways that can feel aimless, driven by association, by a need to reveal the edges of letters and words and the limits of the meanings they are meant to convey.

It isn't 5 stars for arbitrary reasons, not due to any flaw in actual quality. I only rate a book 5 stars if I can't wait to re-read it, and I don't want to re-read this, maybe ever. Finishing this book feels like finishing an overly rich, Michelin star meal at a restaurant you can't afford to go to again.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Misogyny, Incest, Sexual violence, Police brutality, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Grief and Child death

Minor: Animal death

gagne's review against another edition

adventurous emotional sad slow-paced

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Sexual content, Police brutality, and Grief

Moderate: Violence and Vomit

Minor: Blood, Classism, Ableism, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Pedophilia, and Excrement

molestation of a child by an adult

amjone12's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Police brutality, Sexism, Child abuse, Child death, Death, and Domestic abuse

einstein7931's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Police brutality, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Domestic abuse and Incest