Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

The Grief Keeper by Alexandra Villasante

5 reviews

hobbithopeful's review

dark emotional 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? No

4.5

Would you take on someone else's pain and grief for a chance at a better life?
Marisol has little choice to do otherwise when she agrees to be a part of an experiment in exchange for safety for her and her sister. As the experiment progresses the burden of pain soon becomes overbearing, but she can't help but grow closer and closer to Rey, even though when she touches her the pain is all consuming.
A very real look at how immigrants are treated, this book was heartfelt, real, and full of grief. I do wish it was a bit longer, I still had so many questions, or maybe I just wasn't ready to leave these characters yet. I was afraid this was going to be a very heavy read, and while it does have pockets of sadness, it was nothing too difficult or graphic for me to get through.
It's very easy to forget the privilege we have for being in America, as bad as events and people here can be, there are countless others who works themselves to the bone and risk everything to come here.
I highly recommend this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Racism, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Xenophobia, Death, and Homophobia

Moderate: Sexual harassment and Sexual violence

Minor: Bullying, Toxic friendship, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

snowydaze's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.5

The ending was a bit rushed, otherwise I loved the book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Death, Drug use, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, Suicide attempt, Sexism, Lesbophobia, Murder, Medical trauma, Gun violence, Xenophobia, Cursing, Mental illness, Religious bigotry, Misogyny, Medical content, and Hate crime

kathsaph's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-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? No

4.75

"The Grief Keeper" is the story of Marisol, a seventeen-year-old girl, who flees El Salvador with her little sister under threat of death. Once in America Marisol is offered the chance to win asylum by participating in an experiment; taking another person's grief. What she does not expect is falling in love with the girl she is saving. 

This novel was personally difficult to read, but completely relevant and impactful. So many details were packed into 300 pages, all contributing to amazing character development and storytelling. The book is in the first person and often includes Spanish, I ended up looking up the words as I went along, and I recommend doing the same, it added another layer of depth. My response to "The Grief Keeper" was visceral, and although not all of the technology in the book exists, the societal views that would allow the experiment to happen do, making the book terrifying. Please check triggers before reading. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Gun violence, Homophobia, Medical content, Grief, Misogyny, Murder, Outing, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Mental illness, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Xenophobia, Adult/minor relationship, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Lesbophobia, Torture, Violence, and Sexism

Minor: Blood, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Body shaming

therainbowshelf's review against another edition

emotional tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

Marisol and her sister Gabi have come to the US as refugees to escape gang violence back home. When restrictive boarder practices threaten to send them home, Marisol agrees to become part of a medical experiment in order to have their asylum request heard. The experiment seeks to try a new medical technology designed to transfer grief and trauma from someone experiencing them to someone else as a sort of temporary holding tank of sorts. Marisol is paired with a girl her age who recently lost a sibling in a traumatic way. 

I enjoyed this read quite a bit. The story flowed smoothly, and the characters were engaging. I thought the concept of transferring grief and trauma from one person to another was an interesting, though troubling, concept and it was well executed here. It was stressful seeing Marisol fall prey to unethical practices targeting vulnerable populations! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Bullying, Child death, Death, Drug use, Grief, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Medical trauma, Medical content, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

Death of sibling, PTSD, flashback, battlefield trauma, explosion trauma, medical science unethically taking advantage of vulnerable populations, detention center, US immigration practices

gothicmoon's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

3.0

The Grief Keeper handles serious, difficult topics in a digestible manner for people the characters' age to understand. The writing is fluid and the plot simple with shocking touches, though the story itself doesn't quite linger after the book is over.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Gun violence, Violence, Murder, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Xenophobia, Homophobia, Sexism, Misogyny, Mental illness, and Hate crime