Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

The Attic Child by Lola Jaye

6 reviews

birdbeakbeast's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring tense 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Colonisation, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, and Pedophilia

kimveach's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

This is such a beautiful novel. While the subject matter is very dark, the storytelling is captivating, and there is a thread of hope and survival.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Grief, Alcohol, Excrement, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Violence, Vomit, Body shaming, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, Gore, Slavery, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Mental illness, Racism, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Torture, Blood, Child abuse, Classism, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Cursing, Medical trauma, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, and Sexual assault

moriahleigh's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Slavery, Violence, Genocide, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Death, Classism, Colonisation, and Hate crime

aunticles's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring sad medium-paced

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

4.0

This is a compelling read and Lola Jaye is a brilliant storyteller. As many other readers have mentioned, the sections about Lowra were less engaging than those narrated by Dikembe. The merging of the dual storylines worked for me and I liked the ending. The main story was fascinating, full of historical detail, the depiction of brutal colonialism and the pride that white people took (and still take) in it was deeply enraging and moving. The dialogue and some of the writing was rather stilted and formal. This worked ok for the historical parts but I think contributed to Lowra's character being less sympathetic and relatable in the modern parts. She and Monty never quite came to life for me as Dikembe did. It's a big book, tackling big themes and started slowly, but by midway it had become a real page-turner and I raced to the finish.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Trafficking, Slavery, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Confinement, Colonisation, and Child abuse

Moderate: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, and Rape

musingsbynitika's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious 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

5.0

Possibly my favourite book of 2022! This is a powerful story with inspiring characters that will stay with me for a long time. Lola Jaye has beautifully written an important historical fiction/ mystery novel about the Black British identity that will break your heart and then lift you back up. A resounding ☆☆☆☆☆

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Slavery, Child abuse, Racism, Colonisation, Trafficking, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Classism, Death of parent, Grief, Emotional abuse, Genocide, and Mental illness

Minor: Alcoholism, War, Child death, Genocide, Ableism, Suicidal thoughts, and Pedophilia

thesapphiccelticbookworm's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Rape, Colonisation, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, and Slavery

Moderate: Death of parent, Mental illness, Grief, Alcohol, and Genocide