Reviews tagging 'Suicide'

Under the Udala Trees by Chinelo Okparanta

9 reviews

oliii_24's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Lesbophobia, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Blood, War, Suicide, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Car accident, Hate crime, Sexism, and Blood

jupytwo's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

“It’s not even God who’s making them do it. It’s the Church that has interpreted God’s words to its own benefit”.

Always learn where traditions come from before following them blindly. Religious trauma is infectious. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia and Violence

Minor: Suicide

hanreadin's review

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Misogyny, Outing, Religious bigotry, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Gun violence, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual content, Suicide, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Hate crime, Islamophobia, Pregnancy, War, Sexism, and Sexual assault

toofondofbooks_'s review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-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

I was blown away by this book - in good ways and in devastating ways. I had to put this down for days at a time to recover from what I was reading. It was beautiful writing, but often too sad for me to read too much of it in one sitting. The story is told from Ijeoma's POV, and her voice is so strong throughout the book that it was almost like I could hear her voice in my head as clearly as if I were listening to someone tell me a story right in front of me. The themes found throughout were powerful, and the use of nigerian folktales within the narrative was such a wonderful touch.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Blood, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Child death, Child abuse, Gore, Suicide, Homophobia, Religious bigotry, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Pregnancy, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, War, Murder, Grief, Rape, Body horror, Hate crime, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Child death, Classism, and Infidelity

Minor: Ableism, Fatphobia, Excrement, and Vomit

thewordsdevourer's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

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

2.0

despite the good writing and dramatic premise, under the udala trees unfortunately proves to be an underwhelming read for me. 

i def appreciate okparanta's goal in writing this novel. the horrible plight - both historical and present day - of lgbtq+ folks in nigeria depicted is emotional and harrowing, and i like how the unlikable characters are surprisingly multidimensional. however, i somehow cant quite connect to the characters, esp ijeoma, who always feels a distance removed despite being the narrative voice, thereby affecting my enjoyment of the book overall.

it also feels like many things happen while also not, particularly the novel's last 2/3, after the marriage. focus also seems to be misplaced on certain inconsequential things while important points can feel glossed over. 

all in all, though i appreciate the sentiment behind writing this book, ultimately i dont find it to be an enjoyable one.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia

Moderate: War, Emotional abuse, and Sexism

Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Suicide, Murder, Sexual content, and Violence

sarahrosea's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Mass/school shootings, Homophobia, Hate crime, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, and Violence

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Outing, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Grief, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual violence, Lesbophobia, and Suicide

Minor: Child death

caitlinattemptstoread's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-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

2.0

It wasn’t a bad book, but I have a low tolerance for tragedy these days. This was sad, horrifying, violent, and depressing. (It’s about a civil war and a lesbian Nigerian girl growing up in Africa’s second most religious country.) I appreciate that there was a hopeful ending, but it was not a happy one. 

The book reflects reality and maybe I’m rating it so low because I can’t stomach our reality anymore. We spend so much time looking at the past and allowing it to dictate our present. I’d rather continue to envision a better future than continue to draw on the grief and pain of the past.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Lesbophobia, Religious bigotry, Suicide, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Violence, War, Homophobia, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Islamophobia, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, and Rape

bleepbloop's review against another edition

sad tense slow-paced

2.0

Bleak

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Emotional abuse, Lesbophobia, Religious bigotry, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, and Suicide

askard's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective 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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia and Lesbophobia

Moderate: War and Suicide