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A review by biolexicon
The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton
1.0
Sensitive content note: rape
Welp, not a strong start to my 2021 reading year. I DNF'ed this with about 20 pages left. I was doing OK with it until it introduced rape as part of the plot. Then the book lost me. I am supposed to buy that rapists would abide by a pact to not rape married or promised women because it wouldn't be Christian? What a noble horde of *rapists*
And then weird judgement started coming in for those women passengers who acquiesced to the power held by the men who would rape them? It couldn't possibly be they've been conditioned their whole life that they don't hold power and their only option is to submit, as resistance brings more punishment. No, let's flatten this issue to be more black-and-white and judge *the female passengers* and not put all judgement where it belongs. With, I don't know, the RAPISTS.
I know, one of the female passengers wasn't acquiescing at all - only pretending she was. Judgement lifted, that makes it so much better, right?!?!? We were totally OK judging her, her pretense was the problem, not us!
I just... can't. This is some strong 2020 dumpster fire energy, gonna go burn some sage, and hope 2020 stays where it belongs (I started this at the end of 2020). I’m ready to move onto the next book.
Welp, not a strong start to my 2021 reading year. I DNF'ed this with about 20 pages left. I was doing OK with it until it introduced rape as part of the plot. Then the book lost me. I am supposed to buy that rapists would abide by a pact to not rape married or promised women because it wouldn't be Christian? What a noble horde of *rapists*
And then weird judgement started coming in for those women passengers who acquiesced to the power held by the men who would rape them? It couldn't possibly be they've been conditioned their whole life that they don't hold power and their only option is to submit, as resistance brings more punishment. No, let's flatten this issue to be more black-and-white and judge *the female passengers* and not put all judgement where it belongs. With, I don't know, the RAPISTS.
I know, one of the female passengers wasn't acquiescing at all - only pretending she was. Judgement lifted, that makes it so much better, right?!?!? We were totally OK judging her, her pretense was the problem, not us!
I just... can't. This is some strong 2020 dumpster fire energy, gonna go burn some sage, and hope 2020 stays where it belongs (I started this at the end of 2020). I’m ready to move onto the next book.