Reviews tagging 'Racism'

My Sweet Girl by Amanda Jayatissa

9 reviews

espressoreader's review

tense slow-paced

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

0.25

Paloma is a racist self absorbed alcoholic that hates everyone and can’t think a sentence without profanity or with depth.  I wanted to like this book because the premise was good, but the constant string of profanity, followed by “white chick/brown chick” was absurd.  The scene where she is asked where she is from in LA was hilarious.  Imbecile, it is a tourist trap, everyone gets asked that as a part of small talk.  It really was so rolled in woke the whole story sucked.  Not every white person thinks every brown person looks alike. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Racial slurs, Toxic relationship, and Racism

thenovelmaura's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

This review is going to be all over the place because I have mixed feelings about this book. Earlier this year I was trying to rekindle my love for thrillers by reading ones that are written by diverse authors. Jayatissa is Sri Lankan, and the incorporation of a ghost from Sri Lankan folklore added another layer to Paloma's story (and her unreliable narration). While there wasn't a ton of time for nuance, I did like certain aspects of the adoption narrative, such as Paloma's rejection of her heritage, her adoptive parents' obvious white savior complex, and the microaggressions she faced while living in San Francisco.

I can't rate this super highly due to the many plot holes, and the pacing really dragged at points. You also have to have a high tolerance for rudeness to enjoy Paloma's thoughts on, well, everyone in her life. But if you like gory, dark, tense thrillers, you'll probably enjoy this unique spin on the "I discovered my roommate's dead body and the cops don't believe me" premise.

I do love the kind of thriller ending where the "bad guy" gets away with it.

I'm also giving Jayatissa some grace because it's a debut novel and putting her next book on my TBR!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Child abuse, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Murder and Mental illness

Minor: Racism

tammyanntchou's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault and Blood

Moderate: Cursing, Alcohol, Death, Mental illness, Murder, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Suicide attempt, Car accident, Death of parent, Racism, Self harm, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Stalking, Child death, and Sexual content

kyrstin_p1989's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-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

3.0

The plot of this book is compelling and finding out what happened in Sri Lanka that led Paloma to the life she has in California drove my desire to keep reading. That said, Paloma is very, very unlikeable. So detestable that had it not been for an intriguing plot, I probably wouldn’t have finished the book. She treats everyone like garbage and is only concerned about herself. There is no growth or change over the course of the novel. She’s just mean. The twists and turns of the novel do, in some ways, make up for the faults of the protagonist though. All in all, it was a fun read that kept me on my toes. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Abandonment, Blood, Bullying, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Racism, Xenophobia, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Cultural appropriation, Confinement, Toxic friendship, Religious bigotry, Racial slurs, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Car accident, Colonisation, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Death of parent, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Stalking, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, and Grief

thedrolldiaries's review

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

Ooo this was a good one! A dark, sinister, Sri Lankan-inspired twist on

Jane Eyre

!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic friendship, Bullying, Alcohol, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Stalking, Violence, Addiction, and Abandonment

delphine_'s review against another edition

funny mysterious tense 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

3.0

 

Much like in the other book I read from Amanda Jayatissa, it seems like she can't help but ruin a really good book by going too far into the horrifying. I don't mean horror as in spooky, or disturbing existential dread - there's plenty of that in this book and it worked really well and I was entirely into it.

What I mean is this book made me discover I needed some trigger warnings I didn't know I needed. Some things never, never ever, need be this graphic. Or maybe they do if you really want true, unadulterated, experience of things that do happen in real life and that are just as revolting. They, maybe successfully, made me feel ill and violated and absolutely not okay. The way I see it, alluding to them is plenty. Especially as a device to make us understand how horrible someone's situation was.

Much like in You're Invited, it just seems gratuitous and too much.

I'm starting with what will unfortunately stay my main takeaway for this book that I otherwise really liked and that offered a fascinating take on another one of Jayatissa's tricks, but a positive one: the unreliable narrator. We watch Paloma sink helplessly into her vices, unable to stop her as she makes bad decisions, unable to help her as things unravel. Supernatural forces or too much to drink? The characters around her are no less mysterious and you'll find yourself, too, in a haze of distrust for everybody. I really enjoyed the read and the end still had me invested again as Jayatissa arfully kept things ambiguous until she wanted us to know. I loved predicting practically nothing that happened. Only one plot point, and I thought I was so smart for it.

I'm really sad about this one part that truly left a sour, ugly taste in my mind for a book I had no reason not to love. After all, there's a reason I picked up this book after reading another one from the author. But before I pick up another one, I'll dutifully read the trigger warnings and know that when it comes to Jayatissa, graphic means GRAPHIC. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Stalking and Murder

Minor: Racism, Death of parent, and Death

amandaglowgetter's review

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, Racism, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, and Bullying

Minor: Death of parent

hkburke2's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.75

This helped keep me listening to a book even during a stressful week, so I'd say it was engaging. Some of it felt predictable but the writing and characters kept me interested to see how the (predictable) twist would unfold. 

I'm just not a fan of the "I'm drunk/on meds so I can't even trust myself!" device. I wish that hadn't been a part of this one.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Child death, Death of parent, Addiction, Violence, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Murder, and Mental illness

Moderate: Racism and Xenophobia

zaydabarros's review

dark fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse and Alcoholism

Minor: Racism and Suicide attempt