Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Cantik Itu Luka by Eka Kurniawan

14 reviews

issyd23's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Unlike anything I’ve ever read - completely disgusting but also moving at times. Very clever how Eka waves in political and social history of Indo 4⭐️

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Animal death, Ableism, Animal cruelty, Blood, Cannibalism, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Classism, Cursing, Infidelity, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Rape, Excrement, Gaslighting, Genocide, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, War, Grief, Murder, Violence, Racism, and Self harm

squilvia's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad slow-paced

• 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

Wow what a book. It feels like an acid trip reading this. I was debating whether to pick this book up in its original Indonesian language and thank goodness, I picked it up in its English translation version. 

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. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Rape, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship

thegodfather's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

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

liagatha's review against another edition

dark sad slow-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

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