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meganaj's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
angeladobre's review against another edition
4.0
https://booknation.ro/recenzie-cand-te-lovesc-sau-portret-al-scriitoarei-ca-tanara-sotie-de-meena-kandasamy/
iulia619's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Cursing, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Violence
Minor: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Classism
molekkasa's review against another edition
3.0
It's every girls' nightmare; to find the person we love and end up marrying with turns out to be abusive. It's a scary look into what goes down within a household and to what extent anger (partly because of an abusive childhood) can change a person. A wolf in a sheep skin.
thepsychonyx's review against another edition
5.0
I will be posting a complete review later however I definitely need a break from this novel after finishing it. It is easily one of the most thrilling and captivating books I have ever read. Everyone needs to read this book, whether you’ve never encountered abuse, whether it’s happening to someone you know, whether it’s happening or happened to you or whether you’re the problem.
waggaboy's review against another edition
3.0
I liked parts of this book but the mixture of narrative and internal thoughts caused me to lose interest.
byronic_reader's review against another edition
5.0
This is one of the book I feel close to my heart... The author doesn't play the victim card but she beautifully portrays the inner struggle felt by writer wife. Glad that I read this book.
bookbert's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
5.0
blodeuedd's review against another edition
3.0
I really do not know how to review this one. It is both raw, poetic and close.
We never even learn her name. It is told in first person and it is very matter of fact. A young writer falls for her professor. They both share a passion for communism. They marry and it all turns to hell. They are not married for long before she gets away, but that times shapes her. We see how he controls her more and more. Tells her what to do, what to think, what to wear. How he starts hitting her, raping her. How he even gets jealous of her thoughts.
But her thoughts are her freedom, in those she dreams herself away. In those she wonders how to escape. And she tells it like it is. People will always question why she did not do it before. It is never that easy. And it's not like society in India makes it easier either.
That is how it's raw and close. The poetic comes from her words. They are just flow in a simple way. This is her story. This is anyone's story. This is what the author went through
We never even learn her name. It is told in first person and it is very matter of fact. A young writer falls for her professor. They both share a passion for communism. They marry and it all turns to hell. They are not married for long before she gets away, but that times shapes her. We see how he controls her more and more. Tells her what to do, what to think, what to wear. How he starts hitting her, raping her. How he even gets jealous of her thoughts.
But her thoughts are her freedom, in those she dreams herself away. In those she wonders how to escape. And she tells it like it is. People will always question why she did not do it before. It is never that easy. And it's not like society in India makes it easier either.
That is how it's raw and close. The poetic comes from her words. They are just flow in a simple way. This is her story. This is anyone's story. This is what the author went through
spilledinksanket's review against another edition
5.0
When I hit you is a brutal, devastating tale about a young wife. It is a claustrophobic and terrifying read about domestic violence, marital rape and how all of us are in one way or another complicit with the act. I picked the book up after it got shortlisted for the @womensprize but kept postponing the read because of the difficult content . Fending of the mental devastation of cancer was all I had the courage for at that point.
But when I did pick it up it changed me. The book takes hold of your gut and wrenches it every now and then. You are never too far from it. The writing when it needs to reflect the obvious talents of Meena. There is flowing nature almost like poetry to her writing. In other places it conveys very effectively the narrator's absolute helplessness even as she stages her fightbacks , her small victories.
At one point in the novel Meena K. says the job of a writer is to "control the narrative". And she does that with all the dexterity of a surgeon. Picking at things that needs to be picked at, cutting off malignancies and letting the blood flow when it comes to that.
But when I did pick it up it changed me. The book takes hold of your gut and wrenches it every now and then. You are never too far from it. The writing when it needs to reflect the obvious talents of Meena. There is flowing nature almost like poetry to her writing. In other places it conveys very effectively the narrator's absolute helplessness even as she stages her fightbacks , her small victories.
At one point in the novel Meena K. says the job of a writer is to "control the narrative". And she does that with all the dexterity of a surgeon. Picking at things that needs to be picked at, cutting off malignancies and letting the blood flow when it comes to that.