Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

24 reviews

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

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

lcamp2780's review against another edition

dark sad medium-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Classism, Death, Murder, Police brutality, Sexual content, and Violence

Moderate: Sexism, Vomit, Gore, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Incest, Abandonment, Excrement, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Alcohol, Drug use, Blood, Religious bigotry, and Animal death

suzanneelsa's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny sad fast-paced

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

5.0

first reread in Dec 2023. 

I love this book with all that I’ve got. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Slavery, Child abuse, Abandonment, Child death, Grief, Religious bigotry, Violence, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Classism, Physical abuse, and Torture

selimhannah's review against another edition

dark reflective sad slow-paced

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

2.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Pedophilia, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Murder, Child death, Classism, Death, Violence, Police brutality, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Racism, Abandonment, Incest, Body shaming, Violence, Sexual content, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Animal death, Blood, Murder, Death of parent, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Car accident, Body shaming, Colonisation, Confinement, Misogyny, Pregnancy, and Fatphobia

rosibook's review against another edition

mysterious reflective sad medium-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Murder, Hate crime, Racism, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Abandonment, Colonisation, Death, Grief, Violence, and Vomit

Moderate: Incest

ppp's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious relaxing sad slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Domestic abuse, and Child death

Moderate: Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Abandonment, Classism, Pedophilia, and Racism

Minor: Incest

leoniefnk's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Pedophilia, Police brutality, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Death, Grief, Child death, Sexual violence, and Vomit

Moderate: Abandonment, Blood, Child death, Classism, Death, Sexual harassment, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Incest, Infidelity, and Police brutality

Minor: Cursing, Car accident, War, Body shaming, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Violence, Vomit, Animal death, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

hannah_cogo's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Alcoholism, Blood, Death, Murder, Police brutality, Abandonment, Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Incest

wetdirtreads's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad slow-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Police brutality, Racism, Death, Child abuse, Death of parent, Gore, Murder, Pedophilia, Child death, and Violence

Moderate: Incest, Sexism, Ableism, Alcoholism, Animal death, Fatphobia, Abandonment, Car accident, Grief, and War