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A review by shellballenger
Honor by Thrity Umrigar
5.0
Type of read: Commuter Read.
What made me pick it up: One of the books on the Reese's Book Club list.
Overall rating: "Rearrange the world or burn everything down."
'Honor' kept me on my toes. There's a lot packed into this book. The story came across as a feminist, political telling of female power and sacrifice. I feel like 'Honor' provided an honesty and realness that, to be quite candid, you don't normally see in Reese's Book Club picks. I did struggle a bit with the narration as there wasn't much distinction between characters and sometimes there was quite a bit of back and forth where you had to just figure out who was saying what. And it took me way too long to realize that there were portions of the book that were going back and telling what happened BEFORE the large catalyst event. But once I figured out what was going on and the rhythm of the book, it made so much more sense. There's a bit of love and a lot of finding oneself mixed throughout the story. I think I felt nearly every category of emotion while reading - angry, sad, happy, disgusted, defeated...- Umrigar does a fantastic job making the reader feel without telling them how to feel. I would absolutely recommend 'Honor' to those who are prepared for a challenging and emotionally draining book.
Reader's Note: 'Honor' has storylines that include sexual, emotional, and physical abuse, graphic depictions of death and near-death experiences, and the wounds suffered from those experiences. Additionally, there are instances of racism - looked down upon by the main character - presented throughout the book.
What made me pick it up: One of the books on the Reese's Book Club list.
Overall rating: "Rearrange the world or burn everything down."
'Honor' kept me on my toes. There's a lot packed into this book. The story came across as a feminist, political telling of female power and sacrifice. I feel like 'Honor' provided an honesty and realness that, to be quite candid, you don't normally see in Reese's Book Club picks. I did struggle a bit with the narration as there wasn't much distinction between characters and sometimes there was quite a bit of back and forth where you had to just figure out who was saying what. And it took me way too long to realize that there were portions of the book that were going back and telling what happened BEFORE the large catalyst event. But once I figured out what was going on and the rhythm of the book, it made so much more sense. There's a bit of love and a lot of finding oneself mixed throughout the story. I think I felt nearly every category of emotion while reading - angry, sad, happy, disgusted, defeated...- Umrigar does a fantastic job making the reader feel without telling them how to feel. I would absolutely recommend 'Honor' to those who are prepared for a challenging and emotionally draining book.
Reader's Note: 'Honor' has storylines that include sexual, emotional, and physical abuse, graphic depictions of death and near-death experiences, and the wounds suffered from those experiences. Additionally, there are instances of racism - looked down upon by the main character - presented throughout the book.