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rebeccaquinton'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? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual content, Kidnapping, Grief, Violence, Murder, Racism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Blood, Torture, Abandonment, War, Suicide, Sexual violence, Mental illness, Gore, Death, and Colonisation
maren_hemsath'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? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: War, Torture, Racism, Violence, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Sexual content, and Death
Moderate: Racial slurs, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Colonisation, and Blood
sapphire_mayo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Murder, Body horror, Violence, War, and Torture
Moderate: Rape, Excrement, Death of parent, Sexual violence, and Colonisation
kaitlyng's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Torture, Death, Gun violence, Murder, Violence, War, Sexual content, Blood, and Gore
Moderate: Mental illness, Colonisation, Grief, Cannibalism, Slavery, Rape, Racial slurs, and Kidnapping
Minor: Religious bigotry, Cultural appropriation, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Sexism
abrownb15's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Murder, Rape, Violence, and Sexual violence
hannahdavey's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Rape, Injury/Injury detail, War, Torture, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Blood, Gore, and Grief
innastholiel's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Violence, Blood, War, Body horror, Death, Gore, and Mental illness
Moderate: Rape, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Torture, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
Minor: Excrement and Colonisation
bealmg's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
It touches on issues such as colonialism, racism and identity through the eyes of Alfa Ndiaye, who has just witnessed the death of his great friend, 'more-than-brother' Mademba Diop. Triggered by this event, his mind spirals downwards. Facing the horrors and dull repetitiveness of the trenches, Ndiaye goes mad. He becomes what his white captain wants black soldiers to become - savages, to instill fear in the minds of the German soldiers on the other side.
The writing style, although exhausting for its repetitiveness, is what shines in this short novel. Its repetitiveness mirrors both the daily life in the trenches and Ndiaye's mind. Traumatised by Diop's death, Ndiaye's mind cannot move on from that horrifying event and the author perfectly portrayed this state-of-mind, in my opinion.
However, I was not a fan of how the author portrayed women in this novel. There were way too many metaphors involving women's genitalia (I still don't know why he chose to compare the trenches to a woman's genitalia and womb?) and the two female characters were nothing but sexual objects for the narrator. This actually upset me more than the images of violence and blood.
Overall, it's an interesting novel, although I was expecting more.
Graphic: Sexual content, Blood, War, Murder, Violence, Sexual violence, Death, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, and Racism
bookishbrenbren's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This was a good examination of war and trauma and defense mechanisms brains struggling with PTSD will use to protect themselves. I enjoyed the fusion of, like, oral storytelling mechanisms? If that's how you'd call them. The commentary on racism at the front was also very well written and well-incorporated into the story but, on the whole, I just really mostly feel like WTF did I just read? Like, no plot all vibes, but also there is some plot but secondary to the story?
Graphic: Rape, Blood, Gore, Sexual violence, Murder, Colonisation, Mental illness, War, Violence, Body horror, and Racism
breazatoth's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Torture, War, Sexism, Blood, Gore, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual content, Rape, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault