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squilvia'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? Yes
3.75
If I could pick three words to describe it, it would be:
Disturbing, grotesque and bizzare.
I'm a pretty open-minded reader to all genre no matter how sickening or repulsive it could be for most people, but this book is wayyyyy out of my league of acceptance. It reminds me of my first time reading Running With a Scissors book that I picked up when I was a teenager.
There are so many, and by that I mean MANY MANY s3xual ass@ult/rape scenes that I feel physically ill and disgusted, waiting for each terrible scene to end.
The only reason I picked up this book is because of its first catchy sentence but if had known that it follows an intergenerational theme, I would have never read it. I feel like an unwanted child being passed on from one character to the next. And obviously I wasn't that thrilled when being passed on to follow bunch of r@pists characters and their pov.
Does the book manage to keep my interest until the very end? Yes.
Would I reread it or recommend it to other people? Absolutely fkcing NOT.
I would finish this review by saying, I would let this book stay dead in me.
Graphic: Sexual assault, Rape, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship
thegodfather's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Murder, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexism, Suicide, Torture, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Incest, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Rape, Toxic relationship, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Classism, Cursing, Death, Genocide, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, and War
tashadhyani's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Murder, Rape, Sexual violence, War, Colonisation, Genocide, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
brusboks's review against another edition
- 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
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.
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
liagatha's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Child death, Colonisation, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Genocide, Gore, Incest, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racism, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, and War
adrigodebison'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
5.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Domestic abuse, Excrement, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicide, and Rape
raaaeanne's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Pedophilia, and Colonisation
Moderate: Incest, Violence, Suicide, Adult/minor relationship, and Death
Minor: Animal cruelty and Excrement
vetathebooksurfer's review against another edition
5.0
I liked how most of the characters were morally grey and some were plainly evil. Mostly you'd expect communitsts to be the bad guys in every single novel you read, and here the politics had nothing to do with how a person was with others. For the most part the relationships were handled well, with a variety of ways life can go, although in one storyline the r*pe was forgiven, which is questionable.
...A number of nuns tried to persuade her to take the vows of poverty, purity, and chastity. “There’s no way,” she said. “If every woman took a vow like that, humans would go extinct like the dinosaurs.”
“Have you become a communist?” asked his mother, almost in despair. “Only a communist would be so gloomy.”
“I’m in love,” said Kliwon to his mother.
“That’s even worse!”
Now, after finishing the dinner that Kamino had given her, Farida found herself once again chatting with her dad, as if death didn’t exist, until she remembered and said:
“But you are dead, Daddy!”
“Well don’t be too jealous of me,” said her father, “you’ll get your turn someday.”
She passed by a group of four soldiers, and she stopped them.
“Have you killed my husband?”
“This time yes we have, Madam,” said their leader, “and we extend our condolences.”
“Where did you put his corpse?”
“Go straight for about a hundred meters, and there you will find his body, already surrounded by flies. We crucified him on a mango tree first.”
“Is he in a sack?”
“In a sack,” replied the soldier, “curled up like a baby.”
“See you later.”
“Later.”
RUS:
У нас есть тетенька. Тетенька прожила нехилую жизнь, весьма тесно связанная с историей Индонезии в целом. У тетеньки была семья. В этой семье было много горя, но и любовь, какая-никакая, тоже была.
Мне очень понравилось, как автор поровну демонизирует всех, а не только местных, голландцев или коммунистов: если человек - скотина, то здесь это не имеет отношения к их политическим взглядам. Однако не очень понравилась линия, что одному из персонажей простилось изнасилование, вроде как его достаточно жизнь наказала.
Любимые цитаты:
... Кое-кто из монахинь убеждал ее принять обеты бедности, безбрачия и целомудрия. "Вот еще! - фыркала она. - Если все женщины дадут обеты, люди вымрут, как динозавры"
– В коммунисты подался? – спросила она в отчаянии. – Только коммунисты ходят такие понурые.
– Я влюблен, – признался Кливон матери.
– Час от часу не легче!
В тот вечер, покончив с едой, Фарида вновь говорила с отцом, будто смерти нет, пока не спохватилась наконец:
– Папа, но ты же умер!
– А ты не завидуй, – сказал отец, – придет и твой черед.
Она остановила четверых встречных солдат:
– Вы убили моего мужа?
– На этот раз да, мадам, – сказал их командир, – примите наши соболезнования.
– А где труп?
– Пройдите еще метров сто, там и найдете тело, его уже мухи обсидели. Мы его прибили к дереву манго.
– В мешке?
– В мешке, – кивнул солдат, – лежит там клубочком, как младенец.
– До свидания!
– До свидания!
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, and Incest
Moderate: Xenophobia and Pedophilia
st0bbit's review against another edition
However, this book seemed to rely on shock factor to draw readers in, and I only got increasingly uncomfortable as the story went on. I've read a few other reviews where they noted that this book was a critique behind Indonesia's misogynistic and sexist colonial history, but that was never very clear to me, I guess. I'm not familiar with this author's work and know nothing about him/her, so I'll do more research about that to see what this book was supposed to be, exactly. People are reduced to animals who crave sexual gratification, women are sexualised and written from a very heterosexual male gaze perspective, and I'm not hooked onto the book enough to want to read the whole thing to the end when I could google it. Would rate this 2 stars if I could.
Graphic: Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Incest, Infidelity, Murder, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Violence
urfavpunk's review against another edition
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Confinement, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, and Trafficking
Minor: Death, Excrement, Incest, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, and Vomit