Reviews with content warning for Rape - Breath, Eyes, Memory

I’m not sure whether I can give this a rating, because I don’t think it would really reflect how I felt during and after this read. At times I was deeply uncomfortable; I felt like I was intruding into the darkest sides of the characters’ intimate, complex relationships. But of course that’s the core of the book: untangling matters of womanhood, motherhood, generational trauma, sexual violence, heritage, and death. What struck me most was the gentle simplicity of Danticat’s prose and how she weaves such brutal topics into Sophie’s story, without it necessarily feeling gratuitous. Quite haunting, though. I’m still thinking about the final passage and don’t know whether to feel hopeful or hopeless about it.

Content Warnings

bookshopvampire's review against another edition

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challenging dark sad tense medium-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

Content Warnings

bookreviewswithkb's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-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

4.5

4.5 ✨

will make you cry

literary fiction

#readcaribbeanmonth pick

what do we miss out on when womens’ worth is determined by their virginity, their perceived wholeness, never having been touched? what do we miss out on when womens’ worth is determined by their cooking skills, how they bake and wash and iron and scrub? what do we miss out on when womens’ worth is tied to being a mother? what do we miss out on when women themselves believe their worth is tied to what they can give to others through their bodies, and they pass this on to their own daughters, and they never have the chance to heal from the trauma they’ve experienced? what do we miss out on…

“there is always a place where women live near trees that, blowing in the wind, sound like music. these women tell stories to their children both to frighten and delight them. these women, they are fluttering lanterns on the hills, the fireflies in the night, the faces that loom over you and recreate the same unspeakable acts they themselves lived through.”

Content Warnings