Reviews with content warning for Homophobia - She of the Mountains

Reviews tagging 'Homophobia'

She of the Mountains by Vivek Shraya

22 reviews

andrewhatesham's review against another edition

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3.0

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readingpicnic's review against another edition

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4.5

Very intense and thoughtful explorations of gender, sexuality, and race, particularly with biphobia and racism within the queer community. I can see the author starting to explore gender in this piece, I think pre-social transition? I saw this particularly with the constant thought that something was missing or awry in relationships that the main character couldn't put their finger on, even after they had mostly come to terms with their sexuality (enter: gender). The illustrations were incredible and connected very well to the different stories. I liked the blend of mythology with the fictional memoir-esque chapters, and this was overall a stunning book.

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richelleski's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

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knkoch's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective slow-paced

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

2.25

Hmm. I have very mixed feelings on this one!

One of the downsides to never reading summaries or blurbs is missing key information that might change my reading decisions. I had no idea this was an illustrated novel, and I regret choosing the audiobook version and missing out on that feature. I’m still not very used to audiobooks in general, and there were experimental aspects of form (i.e. repetitive phrases) that irked me more over audio than I think they would have in print. I don’t mind experimentation, but I think I absorb it better visually. So that’s something for me to remember moving forward. On the positive side, I did like that this was narrated by the author.

Of the two narratives, the Hindu mythological retelling ending up interesting me more than the contemporary one. I think the latter’s dysphoria and experiences with (and eventually internalized) homophobia made it harder to connect with. Overall, an interesting experiment that for several reasons didn’t quite land for me most of the time.

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alsoapples's review against another edition

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reflective 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

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thewordsdevourer's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

a satisfyingly effective and surprisingly impactful book that says a lot w/ little, she of the mountains is another proof of vivek shraya's awesomeness.

this short novel contains two concurrent stories: one abt hindu gods and another abt a contemporary exploration of identity and self-love. shraya manages to make the former not merely compelling but very accessible, which is a rare feat. the latter, meanwhile, is jam-packed w/ the author's signature themes of race, queerness and their intersectionality in identity.

the book's able to somehow say so much and explore many complex issues in so little words. better yet, it's all done w/ equal parts detachment and emotional connection that are nevertheless impactful; certain parts esp towards the end rly move me, w/ one in particular making me simply pause and marvel on what i just read.

in short, this is a short book that packs a punch and lingers on one's mind quite a while after reading.

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