A review by hannahbailey
Moth by Melody Razak

challenging dark informative sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

A good historical fiction novel rooted in fact. I know little about the Partition and consequences of it, so it was interesting to follow a family through the political upheaval and its devastating consequences. However, I struggled to engage with the third person narrative that jumped around from character to character as it never spent enough time in the head of each family member before moving on to the next one. Likewise, the shift from part 2 to 3 felt really jarring in terms of tone and language used, however I can see how this may have been deliberate to highlight how this family was wrenched apart. Overall, this was a very dark and harrowing look into the lasting impact of colonialism and political/religious conflict. 

TW: r*pe, child sexual abuse, sexual harassment, murder, genocide, kidnapping, xenophobia, misogyny, hate crime, animal cruelty/death, violence

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Grief, Gun violence, Misogyny, Murder, Rape, Xenophobia, Pregnancy, Blood, Islamophobia, Kidnapping, Child abuse, Child death, Sexism, Slavery, Genocide, Sexual assault, War, Death, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, Animal cruelty, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Violence, and Animal death