Scan barcode
Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'
The Miracles of the Namiya General Store by Keigo Higashino
2 reviews
bexi's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
It was really clever how the author weaved all of the storylines together. You definitely have to pay attention while reading this book. I think I would've enjoyed it more if I wasn't in the middle of a reading slump.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Suicide, Sexism, Death, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, and Terminal illness
Minor: Self harm, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Blood
rieviolet's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I really liked the mystery surrounding the Namiya General Store, I think it is a very interesting premise. I was quite intrigued by this "magical" aspect of the story.
After the first introductory section, the book divides into separate vignettes, that are still skillfully inteconnected but are told from different point of views. I have to admit that I am not the biggest fan of short stories collections, in general I struggle to appreciate them as much as a novel. In this case, I also had a bit of an up-and-down reading experience, with certain sections that I liked more and other sections that dragged a bit for me and that I found less enjoyable. I still appreciated the ending, and I found it a good way of wrapping up the story.
Also I think that I started reading expecting a very lighthearted and magical story and while it was a magical and surreal story, it dealt with quite a lot of very heavy topics and I'm not so sure if all of them (and the characters involved) were handled equally well.
Lastly, I have to mention a brief passage that left a bad taste in my mouth. I do not know how the original Japanese sentence was or how the English translation adapted it, but in my translation there was a scene in which a man (maybe in his 20s?) is reflecting about a young girl and he thinks something along the lines of "There was a completely unusual sensuality for a little girl, and he would have liked to find a way to make her turn around towards him". All that I could think was why, why do you have to inlcude such a comment, was it really necessary? I really did not like it.
After the first introductory section, the book divides into separate vignettes, that are still skillfully inteconnected but are told from different point of views. I have to admit that I am not the biggest fan of short stories collections, in general I struggle to appreciate them as much as a novel. In this case, I also had a bit of an up-and-down reading experience, with certain sections that I liked more and other sections that dragged a bit for me and that I found less enjoyable. I still appreciated the ending, and I found it a good way of wrapping up the story.
Also I think that I started reading expecting a very lighthearted and magical story and while it was a magical and surreal story, it dealt with quite a lot of very heavy topics and I'm not so sure if all of them (and the characters involved) were handled equally well.
Lastly, I have to mention a brief passage that left a bad taste in my mouth. I do not know how the original Japanese sentence was or how the English translation adapted it, but in my translation there was a scene in which a man (maybe in his 20s?) is reflecting about a young girl and he thinks something along the lines of "There was a completely unusual sensuality for a little girl, and he would have liked to find a way to make her turn around towards him". All that I could think was why, why do you have to inlcude such a comment, was it really necessary? I really did not like it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Car accident, Cancer, Self harm, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexism
Minor: Abortion, Infidelity, Fatphobia, War, Infertility, and Classism
More...