Reviews tagging 'Suicidal thoughts'

Luster by Raven Leilani

67 reviews

smalika's review

dark funny reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Violence, Alcoholism, and Death of parent

Moderate: Suicide and Adult/minor relationship

oliviapincin's review

emotional funny reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage

Moderate: Police brutality and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Suicide, Abortion, and Racism

somelibrarychick's review against another edition

dark reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs

Moderate: Abortion, Cancer, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Death of parent, Drug use, Eating disorder, Sexual harassment, Pregnancy, Police brutality, Miscarriage, and Racism

Minor: Suicide and Physical abuse

mair_ad's review

challenging reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.0

Super interesting and unique book. The prose was simultaneously sparse and evocative; it had beautiful, lyrical turns of phrase but was also straightforward in its own a way. The format/structure of the book reflected the narrator Edie very well. It was also very quick to read (not long and not dense or overly complicated prose).

I'd heard recommendations for this book that focused on Edie's involvement in Eric and Rebecca's marriage, on her position as a "mistress" (which is misleading given the marriage is/was open). I think, though, that Edie's involvement with Akila--how Akila knows Edie is her dad's gf and how that affects their relationship, how Eric, Rebecca, and their community each view Black women and think about anti-Black racism, how Edie navigates

her own pregnancy after growing to care for Akila

--is much more interesting. A bit less flashy than "woman moves into her married boyfriend's home", perhaps. 

I think that sometimes the author pushed the limit of credibility of Edie's actions. There were times when Edie did something and I was just like, what the fuck? Not just because she did something weird, but because it didn't seem in character to me. Also, the body image, disordered eating, Akika-is-counting-calories issues were left where they lay, and I think would have benefitted from _more_. I would also have loved more about Edie's parents, not necessarily because the book needs it but because they were some of my favorite parts. So, so evocative and effective without giving much away. The retelling felt very true to Edie.

I have to say, I don't exactly know why I didn't *love* this book. It was beautifully written and a complex, interesting topic, and I feel like I should love it, but it came off dispassionate and removed, despite the apparent depth of the narrator's emotions.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Miscarriage

Moderate: Drug abuse, Death of parent, Police brutality, and Pregnancy

Minor: Eating disorder, Vomit, Alcoholism, and Suicidal thoughts

rae03's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage

Moderate: Suicide and Suicidal thoughts

thesawyerbean's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-paced

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

2.75

The last third of this book saved it from getting a lower rating. While I can appreciate the poetry and extended metaphors in Leilani’s writing, I can’t help but feeling it comes across as rather constipated and convoluted in parts. I quite often found myself completely lost and having to reread to regather the thread of the prose.

The actual premise was intriguing - the commencing few chapters were not particularly enthralling, but the pace did pick up later on in the novel. The portrayal of nihilistic self-destructive sex was raw and ugly, knitted together in a web of nuanced discussions on race, sexuality, feminism and capitalism which I found very interesting and affecting. These are the parts that dragged this book up in its rating.

However, I overall found this to be quite a slog to get through. I powered through the final half in one sitting, and the concluding chapters were immaculately done. But in the end I wasn’t particularly enthralled or interested in Edie as a character.

I stand by my appreciation for Leilani’s prose, and I finish my review with this quote that I found powerful:

I am inclined to pray, but on principle, I don’t. God is not for women. He is for the fruit. He makes you want and he makes you wicked, and while you sleep, he plants a seed in your womb that will be born just to die.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Infidelity, Racism, Sexism, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Blood, Fatphobia, Grief, Abortion, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Vomit, and Addiction

ansleyymoore's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Blood, Cursing, Eating disorder, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Sexual content, Gun violence, Medical content, and Racism

elouisewills's review against another edition

dark reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.5

An amazing book with a great story, but I'm not really one for excessive crudity and sexual anatomical description.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Racism, Police brutality, Death of parent, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Sexual violence, Alcoholism, and Abortion

kylajaynebooks's review

dark emotional reflective tense slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Body horror, Body shaming, Death of parent, Dysphoria, Abortion, Emotional abuse, Grief, Medical content, Miscarriage, Sexual content, and Toxic friendship

sedgewren's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

3.0

The language and imagery in this book is stunning, with complex emotions rendered in breathtaking accuracy. If I had read the physical copy, I would have underlined the heck out of this book!

However, the plot often felt like it was crafted to serve the descriptions the author wanted to write, rather than the other way around - perhaps this was what was intended, because the main character's actions often felt like they weren't under her control (which added to the sense of her drifting along in life), but her actions were often very frustrating to me. This book is very much more about the intense character portrait rather than the plot!

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Content Warnings

Minor: Racism, Sexual content, Eating disorder, Police brutality, Abortion, Alcoholism, Blood, Death of parent, Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide