Reviews tagging 'Trafficking'

Brutes by Dizz Tate

4 reviews

wykirsty's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide, Classism, Death of parent, Rape, Pedophilia, Trafficking, Child abuse, and Sexual assault

seventhswan's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

I've seen other reviewers describe this as a "no plot, just vibes" book, but I thought there was actually a very clear storyline! It was creative and nuanced, reminding me of Stewart O'Nan's Ocean State and, as was clearly intended, The Virgin Suicides. That's not to say the vibes weren't immaculate - a sort of "pretty horror" - and Tate is an extremely talented descriptive writer who made my skin crawl at times with her imagery. I thought the shared narration worked extremely well throughout, but especially in making the conclusion of the novel extremely impactful. I cried multiple times. 

This would have been the perfect book for me, ticking all the boxes - well-written, evocative, personally meaningful, distinctive characters - had it not then relied on

the existence of an actual monster

at the end... magical realism strikes again. Sex traffickers and child neglect are monstrous enough! Introducing fantastical elements cheapened these very real issues a little for me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Trafficking, Fire/Fire injury, Suicide, Alcohol, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Body shaming, Toxic friendship, and Body horror

cotiebrawn's review

challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

3.75

Wow for the writing and capturing the essence of girlhood in that particular setting. Some metaphors are hard to grasp in the descent into the surreal. I want to be left gnawing on questions, but instead I’m wondering if I’m even asking the right questions or if I missed too much between the lines. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Trafficking

petit_lecteur's review against another edition

challenging mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Trafficking, Child abuse, and Sexual assault