Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

Disorientation by Elaine Hsieh Chou

6 reviews

secunda's review

challenging emotional funny informative tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This is one of the best fiction books I’ve read this year. I think the primary audience of course is well-educated Asian women, but I think anyone can enjoy this book. It’s a fantastic skewering of white-dominated Asian studies departments, unstrategic student activism, and grad school. 

I was also confused for most of the book regarding the arc with the white fiancé, but I think the ending of the book more or less sorted it out when Ingrid leaves Stephen not necessarily for his Asian fetish, but because she doesn’t like him as a person. As an Asian woman who is currently dating a white man (and so faced similar questions to the ones Ingrid confronts), I find interrogating your own dating preferences over and over to be counterproductive to your ultimate happiness, so I feel that arc went on a little longer than I liked.

  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Cultural appropriation, Addiction, Self harm, Stalking, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Mental illness, Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Drug abuse, Drug use, Colonisation, and Classism

Moderate: Bullying

Minor: Rape, Slavery, Religious bigotry, and Sexual assault

kathshiroma's review against another edition

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Stalking, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Racism, Gaslighting, Racial slurs, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Cultural appropriation, and Drug abuse

Moderate: Sexual content, Bullying, Violence, and Sexual violence

Minor: Body shaming, Colonisation, Outing, and Deportation

madelinedalton's review

challenging funny medium-paced

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

3.75

This book is incredibly well-crafted and touches on really important topics. It was definitely worth the read. 

My rating is more of a reflection of my personal reading experience than the quality of the book. Not a single character was likable, and Ingrid starts off as the opposite of a compelling protagonist. This isn’t a criticism of the book—it was integral to the story, and it was definitely the right choice—but I personally get a tad exhausted reading books with zero likable characters. Ingrid does grow a lot at the end though!! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cultural appropriation and Racism

Moderate: Emotional abuse

Minor: Racial slurs and Sexual violence

amaezone's review

adventurous dark emotional inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A clear five-star novel :
• one for the look inside "a regular person's" mind starting to reflect on their own position and attitudes regarding race,
• one for the description of academia as it works today,
• one for the great friendship and

avoidind the "they leave the bad guy and shortly after gets with the good guy" scenario

,
• one for the nuanced and clear explanation and depiction of the personalities of all the characters (which to a certain extent, avoids the bad person/good person characterization, although the sides are clearly defined,
• one for

the ending out of academia as perfectly legitimate

. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Violence, Mental illness, Drug abuse, Racism, Racial slurs, Cultural appropriation, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Sexism, Sexual violence, Vomit, and Trafficking

ilychristinalauren's review

emotional funny inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Cursing, Cultural appropriation, Misogyny, Drug use, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Toxic relationship, Sexism, and Xenophobia

Minor: Violence, Drug abuse, Genocide, Racial slurs, Slavery, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Islamophobia, War, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Outing, Police brutality, Domestic abuse, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

annoyedhumanoid's review against another edition

reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

(adjusted from 3.0 to 3.5; i’ve since searched for similar books but come up short, so i have to recognize it for creating that itch and being original)
the courtroom tableau was brilliantly executed, definitely my favorite part
the plot summary was so fucking promising, but i found the writing to be lacking. i feel like it addressed its heavy topics through regurgitations of already finished conversations, rather than playing out those conversations in real time, if that makes sense. i know it's supposed to be absurdist, but the plot was just off the rails at times. Vivian's character development was very good though, shout out to that. also, the audiobook narration was very bland
cover review: ★★★★½. the illustration is gorgeous, just not a fan of either the typeface or the color of the title and author's name

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Sexism, Cultural appropriation, Xenophobia, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Violence, Alcohol, Rape, Trafficking, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual violence, Abandonment, Colonisation, and Infidelity

Minor: Chronic illness, Sexual content, Lesbophobia, Ableism, Terminal illness, Vomit, Death, Drug abuse, Cancer, Homophobia, Mental illness, Cursing, Blood, Drug use, Outing, and Islamophobia