Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

Behind You Is the Sea by Susan Muaddi Darraj

8 reviews

zahrahm's review against another edition

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Death, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Emotional abuse, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Eating disorder, Bullying, Self harm, Fatphobia, Infertility, and Murder

Minor: Gaslighting and Miscarriage

juliana_reads's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful 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

4.5

Wow. A beautiful collection of interconnected short stories. Each one made my heart ache for one reason or another. I think The Hashtag, Gyroscopes, Cleaning Lentils, and Worry Beads were my favorite. In just a few pages, each of these stories somehow felt complete (though I of course wanted more!) which is a testament to the author’s skill. My only challenge was that there were a few time jumps that were tricky to figure out along with the changing POV. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder and Colonisation

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Islamophobia, Sexism, Death of parent, and Violence

Minor: Abortion and Sexual content

alexisgarcia's review

dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

• 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

this was absolutely amazing, the interwoven narratives were so powerful and raw. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Cursing, Death, Grief, Drug use, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Classism, Colonisation, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Misogyny, and Sexual content

sydapel's review

emotional hopeful reflective sad

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

4.75

Holy wow this was such a good set of interconnected stories. I often have trouble connecting to or feeling invested in short stories because the characters don't feel fleshed out enough, but Muaddi Durraj managed to create entire worlds within paragraphs. If you're looking to support Palestinian authors, or just read something that will make you cry a little, I cannot recommend this enough. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Pregnancy, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Domestic abuse, Xenophobia, Toxic relationship, Murder, and Misogyny

Minor: Adult/minor relationship

florecita_lectora's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dementia and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Sexual content, and Grief

yourbookishbff's review against another edition

emotional sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

3.0

While I really appreciated the concept for this narrative - a loosely connected, multi-POV weaving of slice-of-life vignettes for Palestinians living in diaspora in Baltimore, Maryland - it ultimately felt like it never exceeded the sum of its parts. I'm actually confused after reading an interview with the author that suggests the Marcus POV was her starting point. Marcus's POV didn't feel nearly as compelling as several of the others, and it romanticized policing in a way that didn't make sense for the rest of the narrative and feels tonally confusing. The prose is compelling, and I love the focus on stand-alone scenes (there are several short stories in here that were truly beautiful). The author absolutely shows more than she tells here, and it made this feel fast-paced and immersive. Marcus's police POVs were jarring, though, and I'm not sure I fully understand the author's intention with this character and perspective. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide attempt, War, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Physical abuse, Xenophobia, Death, Violence, Death of parent, Dementia, Fatphobia, Grief, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Racism, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Confinement, Sexual violence, and Child death

robinks's review

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

This was such a beautiful collection of interwoven, nuanced stories. I loved getting to see the characters from different perspectives. Escorting the Body was a powerful way to end the book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dementia, Fatphobia, Racism, Body shaming, Infidelity, Alcohol, Classism, Cultural appropriation, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Islamophobia, Misogyny, and Sexism

Moderate: Death of parent, Ableism, Murder, Bullying, Medical content, Physical abuse, Violence, Xenophobia, Drug use, Abandonment, Gun violence, Confinement, Sexual content, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Abortion, Blood, Miscarriage, Police brutality, Suicide attempt, Sexual violence, Torture, Addiction, Cancer, Infertility, Self harm, Sexual assault, and Pregnancy

sarahyjackson's review

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• 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? It's complicated

4.5

Really enjoyed the spectrum of experiences and folks — no group is a monolith!

The American police are depicted positively which I found confusing and inconsistent with what I understand to be true of the relationship between that institution and the IDF (also depicted).  

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Eating disorder, Gun violence, Suicide attempt, Dementia, Child abuse, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Xenophobia, Body shaming, Classism, Racism, and Sexual content

Minor: Sexual assault