Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

Behind You Is the Sea by Susan Muaddi Darraj

10 reviews

silviahc's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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

I LOVED this book!!! Truly one of my favorite reads so far this year! I loved how entranced I was at every story. The stories being interconnected was really the cherry on top. She is such an incredible writer 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Physical abuse, Death of parent, and Misogyny

Minor: Sexual content and Drug use

alexandryareads's review against another edition

challenging reflective 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Domestic abuse, and Death of parent

Moderate: Sexual content

zahrahm's review against another edition

challenging dark slow-paced

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

3.0

Largely my impression of the book was confused because the way it was pitched was that there were 3 families who after a specific event are intertwined… that didn’t happen at all. It was more there was 1-2 cameos across each short story. It may be an issue of the marketing but because it didn’t do what it promised I got to the end without realizing, thinking “… what?”
With that said, the short stories themselves tackle themes that are complicated, and there’s an argument that books like these must be written. BUT you must read the content warnings because I got blind-sighted multiple times when I’d suddenly get thrown for a loop with an event; I had to take breaks from the book because of it. I’m not someone who needs to read content warnings usually so this was a shock for me. Not a before-bed read for sure. 

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Content Warnings

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

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

Minor: Gaslighting and Miscarriage

juliana_reads's review

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 against another edition

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 against another edition

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

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 against another edition

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 against another edition

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