Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood

33 reviews

hannahbailey's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

Unsure how to feel on this one. Atwood is such a good writer that I was pulled into the narrative and the world she'd built despite my immediate dislike for the protagonist. There are some interesting themes with a lot of 'what ifs' but my god, this was so bleak and depressing. Glad I made it to the end to see a bit of hope but it was quite the trudge and not at all what I was expecting!

Very reminiscent of 1984 and A Clockwork Orange in terms of its violence, intensity and reflections on the darker side of humanity. Fans of these novels (I was not a fan of either one) will almost definitely enjoy Oryx and Crake.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Gun violence, Trafficking, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Sexual violence, Cursing, Rape, Blood, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Alcoholism, Animal death, Drug use, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Toxic friendship, War, Animal cruelty, Addiction, Death, Grief, Kidnapping, Murder, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Violence, Child death, and Infidelity

thedinosaurkid's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny 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? Yes

4.0

Great book.
If you don't like exposition I would not reccomend this to you. Over half of the book is spent remembering the past, but in the context of the world and situation it makes sense. 
Jimmy/Snowman is a fairly accurate depiction of a dude and how a dudes mind works. Oryx and Crake are fleshed out very well and Snowman's memories are played out well. The most interesting part to me is the way that Oryx and Crake have been deity-ifed (not a word but you get my point) by Snowman and The Children of Crake. 
The symbolism is very interesting. 
The ending is ambiguous, on purpose, and gives very vague answers. It's of course frustrating to not have that satisfying ending that answers all your questions but that is the point of the book. The future remains uncertain.
Overall a good book.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Child abuse, Rape, Mental illness, Excrement, Alcoholism, Trafficking, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Animal cruelty, Drug use, Alcohol, Gore, and Animal death

nellblake's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

Atwood writes in a such a captivating way. I feel drawn to learn more about the mysterious characters in this book, watching the moral ideas shift within the dystopian world. It is a dive into notions that are perpetuated in our modern society around genetic modification, even more so now than when this book was initially written. Atwood follows moral trends and can see the way they may shape our world, even if they feel fantastical now.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence and Trafficking

lauragarabedian's review against another edition

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

2.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Kidnapping, Murder, Alcohol, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, and Death

Moderate: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Murder, Pedophilia, Trafficking, Excrement, Rape, Slavery, Stalking, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Bullying, Child abuse, Medical content, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, Adult/minor relationship, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Animal death, Fatphobia, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Violence, and Addiction

dwellordream's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Gore, Sexual violence, Trafficking, and Rape

kerttuli's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Trafficking, Death, Sexual violence, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Murder, and Animal cruelty

Moderate: Genocide, Misogyny, Ableism, Alcoholism, and Gore

Minor: Addiction, Drug use, Body horror, Medical content, and Homophobia

pb914's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Child abuse, and Sexual violence

nataliebeech's review against another edition

challenging dark sad slow-paced

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

2.5

The concept and world behind this book is so interesting, but I found it strange that Atwood decided to tell the story through the eyes of a basically misogynistic (and potentially a pedophile? - feel like this was brushed over) white man. Why? It felt almost like an exercise in writing an unlikeable character which felt a bit thin as a reason. The events that unfold also felt a little out of line with Crake’s personality and intelligence. However, the ideas that it presents are stunningly relevant now despite being written 20 years ago, it almost felt too close to home. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child abuse, Pedophilia, and Sexual violence

Minor: Body horror and War

nikwui's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective medium-paced

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

2.0

It was quite generic. Evil genius who is neurodivergent wants to destroy humanity. Humanities student used a propaganda. Not to mention the combination of the fridged woman and manic pixie dream girl. Overall, it had some good commentary on genetic manipulation but that’s pretty much it. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Trafficking, Slavery, Sexual violence, and Pedophilia

keatynbergsten's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Death, Death of parent, Genocide, Medical trauma, Sexual violence, Suicide, and Trafficking