Reviews tagging 'Murder'

Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward

42 reviews

greatexpectations77's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative 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

4.25

This book is really raw and hard-hitting, and it has about every trigger warning possible. It's a world that many of us who are white and middle-class don't know and have been able to ignore as the faraway south. But the issues that this family faces are solvable, and it's all of our responsibility to change policy to put those social programs in place. This book is also a great anti-"classic literature" example - it's lyrical and winding and shows that there is not one way to write.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Racial slurs, Racism, Blood, Cancer, Confinement, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Police brutality, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Classism, Vomit, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, and Rape

Moderate: Hate crime, Physical abuse, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Mental illness, Sexual content, Addiction, Gun violence, and Murder

Minor: Abortion, Domestic abuse, and Abandonment

distancebetweenhunterandprey's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

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

5.0

The effects of trauma, racism, and parental expectations on a family, as seen through three generations.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Murder, Drug use, Drug abuse, Police brutality, and Addiction

Moderate: Death

Minor: Rape

deirdrelk's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad medium-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

5.0

A profound book that manages to be  gut-wretching and beautiful at the same time. While Ward is in a class of her own, fans of Gabriel García Márquez and Toni Morrison will find a home in her work.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Slavery, Abandonment, Violence, Death, and Hate crime

Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, and Addiction

paigeautum's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death and Murder

Moderate: Torture

Minor: Sexual assault

annecharlotte_reads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

A story about stories, told and untold, that can keep us alive and also kill us. About relationships and family, and how far we're each ready to go for the ones we love. About loving against violence and abuse and death, and keeping each other alive. 
This novel is a thing of beauty. From the first few sentences you know you're in for something special: not only a powerful story but gorgeous writing. I was reminded of the best elements of Toni Morrison. 
The story is written from 3 points of view. Sometimes I had trouble remembering if it was the mother or the son speaking, so maybe there isn't enough difference in style. These shifts are still incredibly powerful and force us to empathise with Léonie, a violent, abusive and neglectful mother, but also a daughter, a sister, a lover, traumatised and addicted to drugs. The magical realism is injected gradually and amplifies into a terrible, spectacular climax, right at the end. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Hate crime, Murder, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Rape, Drug abuse, and Forced institutionalization

kellyofcali's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

• 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

3.5

A book written with shifting perspectives and narrators about a family struggling with addiction, incarceration, illness, racism, and life. It's a powerful story, and the writing style is unique and often beautiful. I struggled when it turned a bit more magical/spiritual, but it is a truly singular novel and voice.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Death, Chronic illness, Cancer, Addiction, Drug abuse, Death of parent, Drug use, Racism, and Grief

Moderate: Abandonment, Gun violence, and Murder

mia_merrill's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

• 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit, Murder, Hate crime, Terminal illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Racism, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Rape, Medical trauma, Slavery, Sexual assault, Medical content, Gun violence, Grief, Pregnancy, Police brutality, and Animal death

miak2's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.0

 

Sometimes the world don't give you what you need, no matter how hard you look. Sometimes it withholds.

This is a tale of two books for me. Part of this book I found excellent, easily 4+ stars. The other part is a 1 star at best. So I'm settling with three.

Which might not be fair to the author, I realize. It's not that she did anything inherently wrong during the sections of the book I disliked, rather I disliked Leonie so much because she wasn't written to be likeable, just haunted and complex. I acknowledge that, but reading through those parts was just such an unpleasant experience that I can't bring myself to rate this higher despite what I enjoyed about it.

On that note, though, Jojo was a great character to follow. He really did come across as a scared teenager, but with the wisdom and maturity of somebody who's been forced into a parental role far too early. Similarly, the slow uncovering of the story between Jojo's grandfather and a fellow inmate from his teens was moving and heartbreaking.

And, certainly, the reflection on race was incredibly thoughtful and well-done. It, alongside family motifs, was a driving factor throughout the story, and we saw how it strained interracial relationships and friendships, how Pops was treated as a Black prisoner, and how Leonie and especially Jojo are treated by the police. It's a crushing look at the very real issues that still plague our society to this day.

All that being said, I really really disliked Leonie. And, again, she wasn't made to be likeable, only complex. But the way that she treated her children, everywhere from neglect to outright abuse, the way she almost completely ignores them when her boyfriend is around. Absolutely a realistic character, there are certainly mothers out there lacking that parental instinct, but I had a hard time reading through it.

Another, much smaller, gripe is that Ward's paragraphs are quite long. It shouldn't matter, I know, but something about reading pages and pages of dense walls of texts really made it feel like I had to slog through at times. (Especially when they were about her relationship with Michael, which I cared very little about. And they usually were!)

All in all, I'm glad that I read this, but I didn't necessarily enjoy reading it. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Murder, Racism, Police brutality, and Death

miamon's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Racial slurs, Cancer, Vomit, Murder, Racism, and Police brutality

fletches's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad 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? Yes

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Slavery, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Hate crime, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Police brutality, Pregnancy, and Racism