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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
Cuando el editor te cuenta el libro y sus cosas dices, good soup
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is definitely an odd book. I picked it up because my library had it wrapped up with the three tags aro-ace character, set in the 60s, in New Zealand. That's definitely true.
I don't really know how to describe it other than a woman meets a man and his son and they go through life.
One of the main character is aro-ace, which is interesting and well done representation. There is some aro-ace phobia, but it's portrayed as wrong.
There is child abuse in the story and it's not skippable since it's integral to the story. The character doing it is portrayed as wrong, but they are still an important character and if it's any kind of a trigger I'd recommend skipping the book.
Overall, I'd recommend it if you're looking for a story set in New Zealand and with a family component.
I don't really know how to describe it other than a woman meets a man and his son and they go through life.
One of the main character is aro-ace, which is interesting and well done representation. There is some aro-ace phobia, but it's portrayed as wrong.
There is child abuse in the story and it's not skippable since it's integral to the story. The character doing it is portrayed as wrong, but they are still an important character and if it's any kind of a trigger I'd recommend skipping the book.
Overall, I'd recommend it if you're looking for a story set in New Zealand and with a family component.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Suicide attempt
challenging
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I have very mixed feelings about this book. The writing style was very different than any book I’ve read. It took me a little bit to get into it but once I did I really appreciated the writing style and thought it was very poetic and reflective. I also liked being able to read from the Māori perspective which I didn’t know anything about before reading the book. It gave the story an important cultural layer that I valued. I was really taken with the book until around the 3/4 mark because while there were horrific things in the beginning I naively thought that Kerewin’s influence would change Joe and the book would shift to finding out more about Simon’s past. However it ended with sympathizing more with the abuser and putting Simon back in a volatile home while under the guise of it was ‘for his benefit so he could be with his family.’ The ending really left a bad taste in my mouth that substantially undid the praise I had for the rest of it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Not one for me. Like, yes, it gets a star for Kerrwin being ace, and a star for a glimpse of Maori culture, and that's it. I didn't like the writing in the slightest, and this book is mainly focused on horrific child abuse, with the worst possible ending one could think of. So.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
If I could, I would give this book ten stars, but alas, I cannot. Also it's possible that I'm in that just-finished-a-really-good-book-what-do-i-do state so I might be exaggerating a little bit. If you are interested in New Zealand/Maori culture, in post-colonial literature, in trauma/healing, or just really lovely and inventive language, add this one to your list. But be warned -- here be some extreme emotions! It's possible that I am more affected by these things than others (i.e. I've cried during a lot of movies), but on more than one occasion, I had to put this book away for awhile because I was too overwhelmed by all the feelings. It's not all doom and gloom though -- there's an awful lot of love in this book as well, which is what makes it so powerful.
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes