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Graphic: Hate crime, Grief, Death of parent, War
Moderate: Cancer, Torture, Medical content, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment
Minor: Child abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide, Terminal illness, Excrement
Moderate: Rape, Suicide, Abortion, War
I really appreciated how the author explored war and its aftermath, both at a wider and at a more personal level (through the story of the Trần family). I think it did well in depicting all the contradictions and nuances in a country's history.
My only minor complaint in terms of the plot is the big revelation in the final chapters; I found it a little bit melodramatic and fortuitous.
I wasn't completely captured by the writing style but, here and there, there were some touching moments elevated by the prose.
Overall, this is a gripping and powerful book that I would encourage everyone to pick up.
Graphic: Death, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, War
Moderate: Alcoholism, Gore, Mental illness, Torture, Blood, Sexual harassment, Colonisation
Minor: Ableism, Cancer, Child death, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Excrement, Abortion, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury
Graphic: Death, Violence, War
Moderate: Alcoholism, Rape, Abortion
Minor: Cancer, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide
Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Cancer, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, War, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Torture, Abandonment
Minor: Rape, Suicide, Terminal illness, Vomit
Highly recommended the audio book, there's so many Vietnamese proverbs in this and hearing them spoken by a Vietnamese speaker and not just reading them wrongly in my head.
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, War
Painful, heartbreaking, but so inspiring and hopeful in the end. A novel about the horrors, and the truest beauties of life.
Graphic: Violence, Murder, War
Moderate: Miscarriage, Abortion
Minor: Alcoholism, Cancer, Confinement, Rape, Suicide, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail
It could also be frustrating; despite how much I loved the book, I often felt like the characters were almost too naïve deliberately so the author could use them as a mouthpiece for philosophical arguments; i.e. Huong being 15 and not understanding what rape is so that the book can make the argument that no one should be shamed for violence inflicted upon them. There were other instances of this that tested believability, but for me it didn't drag down the impact of the novel. I'd recommend this to anyone and it will have a permanent place on my bookshelf and rotation of revered books.
Graphic: Body horror, Cancer, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Graphic: Alcoholism, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Hate crime, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Police brutality, Abortion