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garyosu's review
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Addiction, Cancer, Death, Racial slurs, Terminal illness, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Grief, Infidelity, Death of parent, Suicide attempt, War, Drug abuse, Islamophobia, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
travisppe's review
- 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
5.0
Moderate: Abandonment, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Addiction, Alcoholism, Homophobia, Cancer, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Terminal illness, Chronic illness, Lesbophobia, Drug use, and Islamophobia
thehinkydonut's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Abandonment, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Homophobia, Islamophobia, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug use, War, and Xenophobia
auteaandtales's review against another edition
- 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
More specifically, how we all die anyway, so why shouldn’t we make this death have meaning? Shouldn’t we die for something? Otherwise, what does it all mean, and what did we do it for? This was triggered by Cyrus’ own personal experiences with death, when his mother Raya was shot down in a plane in 1988 when he was a baby, how her death was just one of over 300 and then was turned into a political talking point. I also believe that his obsession with death stems for his other traumas, as well, especially being Iranian living within America where he is constantly treated as a threat despite the pain and suffering they have caused him, his family and his homeland. This is something he greatly struggles with and is a constant theme throughout.
The discussions about everything were so complex, multilayered and gripping. Many are things I have personally thought about before and it was wonderful seeing something I’ve struggled to put into words right in front of me. Others are things I have not thought about and were new to me, and I appreciated the discussions, and others were from the perspective of someone I don’t relate to due to our completely different life experiences/privileges etc, which I also appreciated and enjoyed.
Also, the poetry! Unexpected, but a joy.
Overall, this was not an easy read, it was challenging but fantastic and I would recommend it. My only ‘gripes’ (both personal and not wrong with the book) is that I struggle to read things that are ‘stream of consciousness’ , which is what this felt like a lot of the time, and I also don’t know how I feel about that ending and how it changes everything that was being talked about up to that point. It was entertaining, but I’m not sure if I liked that twist or not.
Thank you to Netgalley and publishers for the review copy. I definitely need a copy of my own to annotate because I highlighted SO much of this! Here are some of my favourite quotes:
“There’s no difference to the outside world between a good guy and a bad guy behaving like a good guy. In fact, I think God loves that second guy a little more”
“Recovery is made of words, and words have all these rules. How can anything so limited touch something as big as whatever the fu*k a ‘Higher Power’ is? How can it get rid of the big ball of rot inside me? it feels like this giant sponge sucking away anything in the world that’s supposed to feel good. What words can touch that?”
“When a sadsack who hated life killed themselves, what were they really giving up? The life they hated? Far more meaningful, thought Cyrus, to life yourself out of a life you enjoyed - the tea still warm, the honey still sweet. That was real sacrifice. That meant something”
“Martyr. I want to scream it in an airport. I want to die killing the president. Ours and everyone’s. I want them all to have been right to fear me. Right to have killed my mother, to have ruined my father. I want to be worthy of the great terror my existence inspires”
(I have SO much highlighted, honestly, that I really want to share but I think you should just read the book, it’s brilliant)
Graphic: Alcoholism, Suicide, Death of parent, Grief, Racism, and Islamophobia
kittiesss's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Grief, Addiction, Alcoholism, Death of parent, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Islamophobia, Abandonment, Cancer, and War
Minor: Suicide
skudiklier's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The writing is phenomenal, as expected. But I was also so drawn in by the characters and the story? And I don't want to give anything away because I think it's probably better if you don't see it coming, but WOW did I not see the plot twist coming. I read most of this book all in one day because I couldn't put it down. It'll stay with me for a long time.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, Death, Alcohol, and Death of parent
Moderate: Cancer, Terminal illness, Racism, War, Islamophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Sexual content, Homophobia, Infidelity, and Murder
wordsmithreads's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, Drug use, Addiction, Drug abuse, Islamophobia, Death, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Minor: Medical content and Religious bigotry
sydnec's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Terminal illness, Death of parent, Death, Addiction, Alcohol, and Drug use
Minor: Islamophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, and War
runlaurarun's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Addiction
Moderate: War, Terminal illness, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Death of parent
Minor: Islamophobia, Suicide, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Abandonment, Xenophobia, and Injury/Injury detail