Reviews tagging 'Colonisation'

You Exist Too Much by Zaina Arafat

26 reviews

courtneyfalling's review against another edition

slow-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? Yes

4.0

This was such a weird book. I still have such mixed feelings. Very in the "sad girl" genre a la Ottessa Moshfegh. The main character is a TRIP but I feel like the subtle throughline of how the trauma of Palestinian diaspora amidst ongoing genocide intersects with her personal family experiences and childhood trauma as well as her relationship decision-making was well-crafted. My main issues are plot-related. The center is a strange interlude and her "love addiction" was written justtttt enough where I wasn't sure how critical the book wanted to be of the center. Lots of ambiguous space and reactions. Also

I feel like having a main character with difficulties forming overly intense emotional relationships too quickly, then busting apart, is not solved by her suddenly getting into a good intense emotional relationship, without entirely clarifying what separates her capacity to suppress her self-destructive interiority and truly commit to handling interpersonal conflict this time... especially in the context of ongoing genocide and diaspora

.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation

Moderate: Lesbophobia

jillaay_h's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Self harm, Emotional abuse, Grief, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Eating disorder, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, and Colonisation

kathleenivy's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective medium-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? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Infidelity, Biphobia, Eating disorder, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Racial slurs, Toxic relationship, Homophobia, Islamophobia, Sexual content, Lesbophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Colonisation, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Mental illness, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Drug abuse, Genocide, Racism, Alcoholism, and Outing

abitbetterbooks's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Toxic friendship, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Sexual content, Biphobia, and Colonisation

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Islamophobia, Mental illness, Racism, Violence, and Self harm

jourdanicus's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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

4.0

I didn't expect this book to speak to my mommy issues so much buuuut... That's what resonated with me most from it.

As a white gal who grew up with a toxic mother, it has always interested me how women from other cultures (especially those where filial loyalty/community are more prioritized) approach relationships with their narcissistic mothers. I feel this novel gave me some insight into that, and fit into my current interest in reading from the Palestinian diaspora.

The characters here are deeply humanized; not always likeable or agreeable, but that gives them even more depth. Toward the end (80-90% in the audio) I found myself wondering where the story was going, but I think part of the point of a book like this is that it doesn't have to "go" anywhere. Life doesn't tie up in a neat bow and roll the credits, relationships are complicated and don't always come with tidy ends or easy answers, and Arafat illustrated that well with this book's direction and conclusion.

I think I'll be thinking about this one for a while.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Infidelity

Moderate: Alcohol, Abandonment, Colonisation, Addiction, Biphobia, Homophobia, Eating disorder, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Death, Pregnancy, Police brutality, and Drug abuse

sophiesmallhands's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative sad 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: Emotional abuse, Addiction, Toxic relationship, and Eating disorder

Moderate: Police brutality, Alcoholism, Sexism, Sexual content, and Alcohol

Minor: Body shaming, Drug use, Gun violence, Islamophobia, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Suicide, War, Bullying, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, and Racism

readingwithkaitlyn's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, and Child abuse

Moderate: Racism, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Outing, Abandonment, Misogyny, Eating disorder, Sexual content, Domestic abuse, Addiction, and Grief

Minor: Pregnancy, Body shaming, Alcohol, Colonisation, Genocide, Drug abuse, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, Blood, Classism, Xenophobia, War, Religious bigotry, and Police brutality

DUI.

tahsintries's review against another edition

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Addiction, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Colonisation, Alcohol, and Homophobia

Minor: Genocide and Islamophobia

taratearex's review against another edition

challenging reflective medium-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? Yes

3.0

A character driven novel of a woman going through a 28 day program for love addiction. I enjoyed the vignette flashbacks to other times in her life that added depth to the story being told in the present. The main character is not very likeable, but I found myself rooting for her anyway. I think the theme of generational trauma and trauma through occupation and war is done really well, the moments with her mom and when she is talking about Palestine are heartbreaking and painful. This story is mostly told through the main characters relationships, which makes sense given her issue with love, but it did feel like there was a lack of something- it might just be that I usually feel that way about character driven stories. Overall, really interesting and some lovely writing but I wanted more.

I listened to the audiobook for this and was a thrown by the narration, and it took me a while to get into. I think the narrator is British but doing an American accent, but many of the words were pronounced in what I assume is the British pronunciation, as it's not the American. Otherwise some words were just pronounced with the emphasis not where it would be for an American pronunciation. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Homophobia, Mental illness, Grief, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Infidelity, Sexual content, Colonisation, and Child abuse

mscalls's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense slow-paced

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

1.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Infidelity, Outing, Toxic relationship, Islamophobia, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Lesbophobia, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Eating disorder