Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

I Have Some Questions for You: A Novel by Rebecca Makkai

65 reviews

jesselopod's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-paced

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

3.25

A well written book with a disappointing plot 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Death, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Pedophilia, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Bullying, Cancer, Murder, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Suicide, Drug abuse, and Rape

ashtheaudiomancer's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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

3.75

Not my usual type of thing, but it's a fast-paced murder mystery clearly designed to make you reevaluate our justice system. This only took me a few days to finish once I got started. I also don't have a burning need to read it again though, so take that as you will. Recommended if you're in the usual audience for challenging mysteries.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual violence, Racism, and Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Rape

It's a murder mystery where a girl is killed at a high school, there are certain tropes you should probably expect going in. The aftermath is described in detail, and there are multiple times the narrator attempts to reconstruct the events that led to it, but the actual murder is not described in real time.

clarehiyama's review against another edition

emotional funny mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

Another banger from Rebecca Makkai! I loved the combo of murder mystery with critiques of the true crime genre. I think she effectively illustrated how traumatizing sexual and gender-based violence can be to the individual who experienced it as well as to their community, and I think she balanced that with a clear critique of the criminal punishment system. Beyond how it fit with my personal politics, I also found it extremely engaging and finished it in a few days. It was hard to put down! That being said, anyone who reads this should know ahead of time that there are numerous detailed depictions of the murder of a young woman. It didn’t feel gratuitous to me but it’s not for everyone.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Murder, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

nukie19's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Drug use, Eating disorder, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Sexual violence, Blood, Child death, Rape, Murder, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Infidelity, Medical content, and Sexual assault

mollywill's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Eating disorder and Blood

Minor: Self harm

alisonvh's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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? Yes

5.0

This book is so good! It’s a great murder mystery, but it’s also so much more than that. It faces head-on the issue of girls and women hurt and murdered by men and how hard it is for them to get the protection they need when they’re alive or the justice they deserve when they’re dead.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Alcohol, Blood, Classism, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Grief, Murder, Chronic illness, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Violence, Child abuse, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Terminal illness, Abandonment, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Police brutality, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, and Physical abuse

Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic and Car accident

rachaelwho's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

4.0

I can't quite pin down what made this not 5 stars for me. I thought if I waited a while to review I'd gather my thoughts more, but it's kind of fading instead. It did a lot and covered a lot. Interesting and a good read, especially if you have misgivings around our culture's true crime obsession... Though it was less interested in the morals and meaning of that than I expected. Maybe it spread itself too thin.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Misogyny, Murder, Child abuse, Violence, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Suicide, Sexual harassment, Mental illness, Racism, Infidelity, Gore, and Child death

Moderate: Eating disorder and Death of parent

blackeyedsuzi's review against another edition

challenging dark funny mysterious reflective 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Death, and Blood

Moderate: Sexual violence, Rape, and Sexual assault

Minor: Death of parent, Death, Fatphobia, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Classism, and Bullying

alaina's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

A literary take on the true crime/thriller genre. Great scene setting. Believable whodunnit. Masterful integration of real events (me too, pandemic, politics)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Bullying, Murder, Death, Sexual content, and Death of parent

Moderate: Eating disorder and Racism

Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic and Terminal illness

hilmi's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

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

2.5

To start with, let me admit that literary fiction isn't my wheelhouse and this was me stepping outside of the comfort zone. That said, I've got some opinions for you. The mystery and dark academia components were interesting (not the best I've seen for the latter) but some of the central themes are never truly fleshed out and it gets repetitive. Maybe it's a literary device for demonstrating the recurrence of sexual assault and a lack of justice? Or that trauma sticks and recurs? But it doesn't make a good read here. I did appreciate the emphasis on the imperfections of memory. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Murder, and Rape

Minor: Rape, Suicide, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, and Toxic relationship