Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Behind You Is the Sea by Susan Muaddi Darraj

8 reviews

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

ukponge's review

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Death of parent, Violence, Suicide attempt, Grief, Dementia, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Colonisation, Gun violence, and Domestic abuse

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

ymedhkour's review

emotional informative reflective medium-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

3.5

When I started this, I didn't know it was interconnected short stories, so that threw me off a bit. The book description only focuses on 3 families, but there are chapters that go beyond that and over many years, so it was a bit disorienting.

Overall, there were definitely stories that stood out and make this book worth reading if you are looking for literature by Palestian authors.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fatphobia, Racism, and Violence

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

laurenexploresbooks's review

emotional fast-paced

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

5.0

This work is a beautiful collection depicting family and humanity in all of its complex. The Palestinian-Americans within this work were beautiful, flawed, complex, hard working, and compassionate. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Xenophobia, Death of parent, and Child death

Minor: Violence, Torture, Self harm, and Sexual assault

paulasuze's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense 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

3.75

3.75/5

Susan Muaddi Darraj's debut novel is a beautiful exploration of life in the diaspora for Palestinian immigrants in America. The book exists in the universe of three families in Baltimore, Maryland, each chapter telling the story of a different family member. This multi-generational tale tackles difficult topics, from eating disorders, to the intersection of class and race, to the cycle of poverty, to sexual assault, to anti-Arab sentiment and Islamophobia, to inter- and intra-community violence. Few characters endear themselves to the reader, but their stories are no less engrossing because of it. 

The blurb states that the book faces stereotypes about Palestinians head-on, and in some cases that's true. In a few stories though, I wasn't sure if the narrative was actually reinforcing stereotypes rather than dispelling them. Additionally, there is a lot of hero worship/glorification of policing and the US military which I found interesting. Because of the policing/military violence under the occupation in Palestine, I would have expected the opposite, but maybe Darraj is noting that the first generation children of these immigrants are so removed from Palestine that they do not know that violence and therefore don't abhor the institution of it. Unclear!

Overall though, it was a compelling story and a debut that definitely has me keeping an eye out for what the author puts out next.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Sexual violence, Miscarriage, Violence, Murder, and Rape

Moderate: Xenophobia, Racism, and Police brutality

Minor: Torture and Cultural appropriation