Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

Cantik Itu Luka by Eka Kurniawan

3 reviews

raquelmozart_123's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

3.75

I wanted to love it so bad but the end could never suffice for all the wrongs and pain I had to go through as a reader (female and non white at that). 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Sexual content, Suicide, Murder, Abandonment, Stalking, Rape, Sexual harassment, Miscarriage, Alcohol, Adult/minor relationship, Abortion, Sexism, Pedophilia, Gun violence, Excrement, Alcoholism, War, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Death, Cursing, Colonisation, Child death, Classism, Chronic illness, Gore, Confinement, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Incest, Hate crime, Racism, Police brutality, Child abuse, Misogyny, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Body shaming

imaginefishes's review against another edition

dark funny lighthearted mysterious 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? Yes

4.75

The story is told non-linearly, with a giant ensemble cast of characters who have someone all been interwoven together into the same family, and yet, the story does not become drab nor difficult to follow. Despite the dark matters (such as rape) described in the book, the tone of writing remains lighthearted and almost cheeky, which makes it for an easy read (though the normalising of violence, sexual or otherwise, towards women may be difficult to stomach at times). The story is entertaining to the end, and seeing all the final pieces fall into place describing the choices of characters from chapters ago was somewhat satisfying, but also mildly disappointing due to the reveal of the central piece.

Overall, this is a story about myth and legend set in a real-life historical timeline, where the Indonesian experience of war, decolonialisation, and post-independence is reflected through a variety of characters symbolising these differing themes. My (brief) learning of Indonesian history in school definitely aided in my following of the timeline, and I would recommend readers familiarise themselves with these topics prior to taking on this book. Besides showcasing the overall population-wide experience, the book also depicts the micro-perspective of Dewi Ayu and the tragic fate of her family, which when combined with the humorous choice of phrases used in the book, somehow allows me as the reader not to feel sympathy for them, but rather, view their demise as consequences of their own actions.

Truly, no character in this story is innocent. Crime, immorality, and violence are the bread and butter of the plot, and there are more than necessary descriptions of fecal matter and death. Though, I did not find these descriptions to be overtly vulgar as this diction fits into the overall tone of the book.

I had no clue what this book would be about when I first read it, but I do not regret picking it up.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Sexual assault, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Sexual content, Gun violence, Misogyny, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Rape, Sexism, and Violence

Moderate: Torture, War, Alcohol, Colonisation, Death of parent, Excrement, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Grief and Bullying

brusboks's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.5

This is a good book, an Indonesian epic. 

There are a lot of content warnings for this book. And at times the amount of rape is at times so overwhelming and tiresome that the only thing you can do is just take a physical break from the book. 

However, this is also a central point of the book, as well as providing the reader with a feeling of neusea at times. This is the story of how Indonesia was raped, time and time again. 

Through the good use of Indonesian folklore as well as Indonesian history the story takes us through the most formative decades in contemporary Indonesian history. And it shows brutally, through the rape, incest and violence towards a family across generations how Indonesia, for all it's beauty, has time and time again been fucked over by other colonizing and conquering nations and states. But also how it has fought back, at times in really cunning ways.

A neccessary counterpoint to this is the use of dark humour and fairytales. Every chapter in itself could be read as a seperate modern fairytale, but is also an epic story of a family across generations.  The author is a brilliant storyteller.

If you can stomach it, it is highly recommended.  But be prepared for what lies ahead. Beauty is a wound. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Miscarriage, Rape, Stalking, Suicide, Pregnancy, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Death, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Violence