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meghar's review
challenging
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
I’ve given this book one star because the description of the landscape and setting were generally quite evocative, but otherwise this was a dreadfully written book with flat, unlikeable characters with no arcs, and no drive to the sparse, meandering plot.
Everything is very surface-level, particularly concerning the single Māori character Pare, and there appears to have been little in-depth research regarding Māori customs and lifestyle of this time period.
The author has a preoccupation with shock factor; scenes of sexual assault, forced abortion, sex, underage prostitution and death seem to be included not to drive the story forward but to jolt the reader awake from the otherwise uneventful, slow-paced plot. Rather than bringing to light the harsh reality of frontier life these scenes are starkly inappropriate at some points and downright offensive in others.
If you want an engaging, well-researched novel about the New Zealand gold rush that treats its characters of colour as more than flat stereotypes who exist to bolster the white characters’ meagre storyline, read the Luminaries. I only finished The Colour because I genuinely wanted to see how bad it would get; sadly, it did not disappoint in that regard.
Everything is very surface-level, particularly concerning the single Māori character Pare, and there appears to have been little in-depth research regarding Māori customs and lifestyle of this time period.
The author has a preoccupation with shock factor; scenes of sexual assault, forced abortion, sex, underage prostitution and death seem to be included not to drive the story forward but to jolt the reader awake from the otherwise uneventful, slow-paced plot. Rather than bringing to light the harsh reality of frontier life these scenes are starkly inappropriate at some points and downright offensive in others.
If you want an engaging, well-researched novel about the New Zealand gold rush that treats its characters of colour as more than flat stereotypes who exist to bolster the white characters’ meagre storyline, read the Luminaries. I only finished The Colour because I genuinely wanted to see how bad it would get; sadly, it did not disappoint in that regard.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Abortion, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Animal death, Death, Medical content, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Child death
Minor: Colonisation and Vomit
Content warning regarding abortion:
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