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pranati_pathak05's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Police brutality, Xenophobia, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Death, Infidelity, Emotional abuse, Sexual harassment, Suicide attempt, Incest, Toxic relationship, Grief, Mental illness, and Pedophilia
quinn24's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Vomit, Police brutality, Pedophilia, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Grief, Hate crime, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Sexual content and Sexual harassment
ghoulsghoulsghouls's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
Graphic: Police brutality, Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Pedophilia
Moderate: Incest
tinny's review against another edition
- 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
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
- 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
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?
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
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
- 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
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.
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
- 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
Graphic: Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Police brutality, Child death, Classism, Racism, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Death of parent, Colonisation, Xenophobia, Sexism, Religious bigotry, and Grief
anjiandrada's review against another edition
- 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? N/A
5.0
It's funny coz I bought this book without any second thought. My brain just told me, oh that's something familiar..and cheap, let's buy that. Thanks brain.
I didn't know anything about it when I started reading it and so nothing prepared me for the feelings I felt during and after I read it. Was a lil bit confused with the timeline coz we go back and forth a LOT of the time, but of course the author meant it to be that way. My one braincell can't deconstruct why that's actually a good thing tho. But I'll say this book has unique storytelling (im saying that while not being very well read π )
A story about a pair of twins
Their bond
A tragedy that changed that bond, or did it?
There's a tragic love story
Injustices in society, the caste system
The nuances of that system
Do we hate baby kochamma? Is there redemption for people like her? Is it possible in another world for me to become like her? What if I grew up in the same system, culture, family like hers?
Read about an eerily familiar scenario (didn't see that coming, mini childhood traumas luh π§)
This a five.π«π«π«π«π«
Graphic: Sexual assault and Police brutality
cassreading's review against another edition
4.0
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.
Graphic: Grief, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Misogyny, Incest, Sexual violence, Police brutality, and Pedophilia
Moderate: Grief and Child death
Minor: Animal death