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A review by averyslibrary
Jaded by Ela Lee
emotional
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
5.0
***SPOILERS***
Ceyda, or Jade as she typically goes by, a talented up-and-coming young lawyer born to immigrant parents & in a relationship with her college sweetheart is employed at a prestigious London firm that prides itself on being pro-women/pro-diversity. She seems to have everything going for her until a night of heavy drinking at a work gala leaves her waking up naked with no memory of how she got home.
This is such a brilliant debut novel that explores themes of power, wealth, sexism, racism, misogyny, identity, and familial expectations. We follow Jade as she comes to terms with her experiences with assault, racism, and losing herself in the pursuit of becoming more 'palatable' for everyone in her life, constantly changing to fit the mold she feels they are making for her. Reading about Jade not only realize she is a victim of assault but also adjust to this new reality was devastating to say the least. I finished the book and had to sit in silence for about an hour while I attempted to sort through my feelings. This was not a linear path to healing, rather a realistic example. Her internal struggle of accepting not only what had been done to her but also other's responses to it was so hard.
It was also so difficult to watch her be subjected to all sorts of micro-aggressions due to her mixed heritage. She is straddling so many cultures, Korean, Turkish, British, but never was quite allowed to fit in anywhere. She was always noticed for her "otherness." I was so frustrated because there truly was no way for her to "win." Just ways for her to lose more.
Kit and his goddamn virtue signaling made me want to throw my e-reader across the room. To watch him was to watch a masterclass on gaslighting and how to be seen as the "perfect" partner without ever having to DO anything. Nothing was ever his fault, and I hated him so much more than I have ever hated another character. He was always the cool, calm, and collected man and she was the hysterical woman. He wielded his identity as a straight, white, cis man as a weapon, whether it was to be a crusader and help those with less privilege, or act like HE was the one being attacked because of it. So many of the men in this story were 'good' people, but weren't ever willing to actually put themselves on the line to help the women/poc in their spaces.
Jade was the only one who actively suffered in this story, she was the only one punished, and it made me so mad. My heart aches for her, this was such a beautifully written story. I read in an article somewhere that the author wanted this to feel inescapable and suffocating and lonely. and BOY did she deliver. I think this is the most anxiety inducing book I have ever read, but in a good way? I hate hate HATE how realistic it is that Jade really was the only one to come out of this with lasting negative effects. You're telling me she went thought this horrific experience and yet she's the only one who is getting punished? This is one of those stories that will stick with me for a LONG time.
I will admit that the first half I struggled to get into the story, but I think that's more of a reflection on the difficulty of the content rather than the writing or story as a whole. I was leaning towards 4 star for a majority of the book, but by the time I finished it was definitely a 5 star read.
highly recommend, but check your trigger warnings friends, this is a doozy.
Thank you to Simon & Schuster for the free copy for review.
Ceyda, or Jade as she typically goes by, a talented up-and-coming young lawyer born to immigrant parents & in a relationship with her college sweetheart is employed at a prestigious London firm that prides itself on being pro-women/pro-diversity. She seems to have everything going for her until a night of heavy drinking at a work gala leaves her waking up naked with no memory of how she got home.
This is such a brilliant debut novel that explores themes of power, wealth, sexism, racism, misogyny, identity, and familial expectations. We follow Jade as she comes to terms with her experiences with assault, racism, and losing herself in the pursuit of becoming more 'palatable' for everyone in her life, constantly changing to fit the mold she feels they are making for her. Reading about Jade not only realize she is a victim of assault but also adjust to this new reality was devastating to say the least. I finished the book and had to sit in silence for about an hour while I attempted to sort through my feelings. This was not a linear path to healing, rather a realistic example. Her internal struggle of accepting not only what had been done to her but also other's responses to it was so hard.
It was also so difficult to watch her be subjected to all sorts of micro-aggressions due to her mixed heritage. She is straddling so many cultures, Korean, Turkish, British, but never was quite allowed to fit in anywhere. She was always noticed for her "otherness." I was so frustrated because there truly was no way for her to "win." Just ways for her to lose more.
Kit and his goddamn virtue signaling made me want to throw my e-reader across the room. To watch him was to watch a masterclass on gaslighting and how to be seen as the "perfect" partner without ever having to DO anything. Nothing was ever his fault, and I hated him so much more than I have ever hated another character. He was always the cool, calm, and collected man and she was the hysterical woman. He wielded his identity as a straight, white, cis man as a weapon, whether it was to be a crusader and help those with less privilege, or act like HE was the one being attacked because of it. So many of the men in this story were 'good' people, but weren't ever willing to actually put themselves on the line to help the women/poc in their spaces.
Jade was the only one who actively suffered in this story, she was the only one punished, and it made me so mad. My heart aches for her, this was such a beautifully written story. I read in an article somewhere that the author wanted this to feel inescapable and suffocating and lonely. and BOY did she deliver. I think this is the most anxiety inducing book I have ever read, but in a good way? I hate hate HATE how realistic it is that Jade really was the only one to come out of this with lasting negative effects. You're telling me she went thought this horrific experience and yet she's the only one who is getting punished? This is one of those stories that will stick with me for a LONG time.
I will admit that the first half I struggled to get into the story, but I think that's more of a reflection on the difficulty of the content rather than the writing or story as a whole. I was leaning towards 4 star for a majority of the book, but by the time I finished it was definitely a 5 star read.
highly recommend, but check your trigger warnings friends, this is a doozy.
Thank you to Simon & Schuster for the free copy for review.