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quietkat 's review for:
Block and Strike
by Kelly Jensen
Note to self:
I’ve read this one 3 times now. Each reread was because I never reviewed it and only remembered the parts I liked. What I didn’t remember were the cringy parts. The story is… *shrugs* fine. Mostly. I get why the parts I liked stayed with me and why I enjoyed those, but there are several domestic violence/physical and emotional abuse plot points that are in the background that I didn’t like the way Jensen handled.
The first one I’ll mention is more of just a vibe I got that made me uncomfortable.
The second thing felt a lot worse to me and made me deeply uncomfortable and extremely skeptical.that easily. I want to be clear though, I’m not defending Jake, I wasn’t cool with the way he caveman testosterone raged either.
Now that I’ve written this review/note to self, it’s unlikely I’ll forget why I shouldn’t revisit this one but just in case, this is a record to jog my memory.
I’ve read this one 3 times now. Each reread was because I never reviewed it and only remembered the parts I liked. What I didn’t remember were the cringy parts. The story is… *shrugs* fine. Mostly. I get why the parts I liked stayed with me and why I enjoyed those, but there are several domestic violence/physical and emotional abuse plot points that are in the background that I didn’t like the way Jensen handled.
The first one I’ll mention is more of just a vibe I got that made me uncomfortable.
Spoiler
As far as Max’s father’s emotional abuse and bullying, I got a ‘well at least he didn’t physically abuse Max’ vibe, as if the emotional abuse wasn’t that bad. But it was. It was horrible. No one explicitly says it wasn’t that bad, but the way it was written felt minimizing to me.The second thing felt a lot worse to me and made me deeply uncomfortable and extremely skeptical.
Spoiler
Jake’s ex’s new partner physically abuses her. Dom (the abusive partner) receives a beat down and has a comin to Jesus moment that inspires him to seek therapy. We never see the work he puts in so we just have to take his word that he’s reformed. But everyone acts like Jake assaulting Dom is worse and less forgivable than Dom regularly abusing Jake’s ex. Jake has a moment of rage inspired by his ex getting regularly beaten by her new partner; he goes to prison, has a restraining order against him and isn’t allowed to see his ex or daughter. Meanwhile the physically and emotionally abusive asshole with anger issues continues to live happily with them. It felt abuse apologist-ic and I’m a cynical bitch and simply don’t believe domestic abusers reformNow that I’ve written this review/note to self, it’s unlikely I’ll forget why I shouldn’t revisit this one but just in case, this is a record to jog my memory.