Reviews tagging 'Death'

The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali by Sabina Khan

33 reviews

rhaase0509's review

emotional inspiring slow-paced

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

3.5

This book was a little young for me, as the characters are in high school. It is difficult at times to read the choices they are making when a better alternative seems obvious. However, this is a book about teenagers, and teenagers do not always make good decisions. At one point the main character reads a diary including some intense subject matter that I did not feel like the book did enough to address. The abuse detailed in the diary seemed to be glossed over in favour of the main character's personal development. I do not think such subjects should be handled so lightly. 
Overall, the story was interesting and I enjoyed learning more about Islamic and Bengali culture.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Gaslighting, Hate crime, and Homophobia

Moderate: Death, Islamophobia, and Murder

Minor: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Rape, and Sexual assault

krilves's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful tense 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

3.5

Overall I liked it. I had issues with the writing, and particularly the dialogue which felt very scripted and unnatural. Not only in the sense "no real teenager speaks like this" but in the way dialogue sometimes feels scripted on reality tv because participants have been asked to say specific lines they never normally would. It was very difficult to ignore and made the whole book feel a bit...forced. 

Aside from that it was engaging and interesting, if very dark at times - Rukhsana faces violent homophobia from her parents when they discover she's a lesbian, with abusive treatment following and a forced arranged marriage. There is a happy ending (and no forced marriage), but only after the marriage plot takes a tragic turn. I was honestly shocked at that part, but learning in the acknowledgements that this was a nod to real events that took place less than 5 years ago, was sobering. I think it's an important book, not just for queer teens but their families too. I just wish the writing had been smoother - I think that would've elevated this from "I liked it" to "I LOVED it". As it is I'm just mildly disappointed the writing bogged down an otherwise good book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia and Confinement

Moderate: Violence and Death

ldandridge's review

emotional funny tense 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? It's complicated

4.25

Great characters, wide range of emotions, and excellent depiction of family dynamics and the pull that American children of immigrants often feel (I see it frequently among my high school students). I especially liked the relationships Rukhsana had with her cousin as well as with her younger brother. It's also always fun for me to read books that take place (partially, in this case) in Seattle. My one gripe is that the audiobook reader would say "u double u" instead of the regionally accepted "udub" when referencing UW.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, and Lesbophobia

Moderate: Death and Child abuse

Minor: Alcohol

Lots of references to arranged marriages and in general the parents of the protagonist are very controlling and react very poorly to finding out their daughter is a lesbian. But that's the whole point of the book (

and it has a

happy

ending

) so just make sure you know what you're getting yourself into!

bridgetdeveney's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Hate crime, Death, Murder, Child abuse, and Rape

atrkula's review

emotional hopeful sad tense fast-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? No

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, and Grief

Moderate: Confinement, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Violence, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, and Cursing

siyak_'s review

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Homophobia, Islamophobia, Murder, Death, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Physical abuse, Hate crime, Domestic abuse, and Child abuse

Moderate: Violence, Torture, Misogyny, Grief, Emotional abuse, and Confinement

Minor: Vomit

lilatov's review against another edition

emotional hopeful tense medium-paced

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

3.75

This book was a riiiide. 
Honestly and truly, a lot happens in this book, and some of it was very unexpected (maybe not all needed?). However, it all is beautifully wrapped up by the end. 
There were places where the writing was repetitive in distracting ways. 
Lightly addresses intergenerational trauma.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Rape, Child abuse, and Homophobia

Moderate: Death

katselvocki's review

dark emotional hopeful medium-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

3.5

The good:

• Queer South Asian rep
• Rukhsana and her brother Aamir’s relationship
• Rukhsana’s relationship with her grandmother
• Rukhsana’s friendships with Irfan and Sohail
• Rukhsana and Ariana’s relationship felt very much like a teenage love story

The less good:

• HOLY HECK this got much darker than I’d anticipated 
• Pacing felt off—things dragged for a bit in the middle, but then wrapped up VERY quickly and rather tidily after the darker plot points
• Not much character development of Ariana or of Rukhsana’s best friends in Seattle
• Rukhsana and Ariana’s relationship felt very much like a teenage love story
• I am very much not over Sohail’s death even though all of the characters seem to be

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, and Murder

tinana's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative 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? N/A

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, and Sexism

Moderate: Child abuse, Drug abuse, Incest, Murder, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Torture, and Vomit

Minor: Stalking

fungivibes's review

challenging emotional tense fast-paced

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Incest, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, and Rape

Moderate: Islamophobia, Misogyny, and Sexism