Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

How We Disappeared by Jing-Jing Lee

57 reviews

zoe_macgechan's review

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challenging emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I only wish I hadn't read Brotherless Night before reading this. They are similar enough to compare, although still quite different books, but I loved Brotherless Night so much this pales in comparison. 

That's such a deeply unfair statement as this book is packed with emotion in the concluding third. 

It's very slow in building the characters and intricacies of their relationships to bring them to the book's climax, but the depth of feeling at that climax is worth it. 

It's beautifully and sensitively written. All of the characters are deeply flawed and yet perfect victims of circumstance. 
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jmkemp's review against another edition

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challenging dark 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

3.75

A book from an unusual point of view, covering a difficult subject that still remains taboo for many. The story is told sympathetically and with only just enough detail to move it along. The ending is sort of ambiguous, but satisfying enough. 
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tassillow's review

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4.5

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thebookfestclub's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional

4.0

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stabilesero's review

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challenging dark emotional informative sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Although this is fiction; it deals with a very real historical period of time and the agony that many women and girls had to live through and deal with throughout their lives. I loved Kevin as a character and also Wang Di, how she survived all those years against her own battles and the views of others, in particular their opinions about "comfort women."
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sciencechick83's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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1st22's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated

5.0

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abi_dutton's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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thelaurasaurus's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

This book made me so sad and angry, while also managing to contain occasional tender moments that made the misery bearable. While the treatment Wang Di received at the hands of the Japanese wasn’t exactly a surprise,
I was really upset by how she was treated upon her return, not just by her neighbours, but by her brother
. I had to take a break to sit and have a think (and a cry) when I finished. 

I liked the Kevin storyline, but I wish that it had been slightly less depressing, and also better developed. I wanted it to both counteract the horror of what I was reading about Wang Di, and also move and engage me in the same way. 

As a side note: I knew nothing about the history of Singapore, and this book provided me with a really interesting introduction to the country. I would like to read more. 
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howdychowdy's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional informative lighthearted reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

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