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marioncromb's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-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
4.25
Wonderful to see an aroace (and nonbinary/gnc) main character in a Booker Prize winning book from the 80s! Honestly building a medieval stone tower by the sea to live and draw in with a well stocked booze cellar is goals tbh.
I really enjoyed spending time in the NZ setting with these characters and the ways they clashed and grew together. The book sets up several mysteries at the start that are fun to unravel and come back to at the end, although maybe some moral unease on my end at the enjoyment in unraveling one of those mysteries being 'what exactly was the traumatic abuse that happened to this child'.
The book is very long though and in the second half I was definitely flagging in places where it felt morr indulgent or repetitive. Its a little deus ex machina at the end as well, i wasn't totally convinced things could be fixed that easily, realistically. Although arguably it is about the hope of things being better, this time.
I really enjoyed spending time in the NZ setting with these characters and the ways they clashed and grew together. The book sets up several mysteries at the start that are fun to unravel and come back to at the end, although maybe some moral unease on my end at the enjoyment in unraveling one of those mysteries being '
The book is very long though and in the second half I was definitely flagging in places where it felt morr indulgent or repetitive. Its a little deus ex machina at the end as well, i wasn't totally convinced things could be fixed that easily, realistically. Although arguably it is about the hope of things being better, this time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Alcoholism, and Grief
Minor: Cannibalism, Addiction, Homophobia, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, Drug use, Excrement, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Colonisation, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, Medical trauma, and Acephobia/Arophobia
jenna_smuszkiewicz's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
I decided to pick up this book because I heard the main character, Kerewin, was aroace and I wanted to read more of that rep. It is very clear that Kerewin is aroace which is good. This book was just not for me. I wanted to learn more about the child's past, go in the Kerewin's path and exactly what was going on with her, and dive into the mental health of the child's adoptive father, Joe. We go a little into all of those but not enough to make the picture clear to me.
After the event (Joe beating up Simon so hard he goes into a coma) , I don't understand what is going on with the characters there, especially Joe and Kerewin. And I don't know how we get from what's happened in this book to the ending. I don't understand how they can have a happy ending without reconciling more of their past and mental health struggles and child abuse that was permitted to happen
Maybe this book is meant for other people. I get that. If you do decide to read, please read the content warnings. There is a lot in this book.
After the event
Maybe this book is meant for other people. I get that. If you do decide to read, please read the content warnings. There is a lot in this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Physical abuse, Addiction, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Violence, Child abuse, Drug use, Medical trauma, and Grief
Moderate: Chronic illness and Abandonment
Minor: Pedophilia and Adult/minor relationship
anacereading's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Drug use, Suicide attempt, Violence, Child abuse, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Blood, Abandonment, Ableism, Vomit, Animal death, Bullying, Acephobia/Arophobia, and Medical content
Minor: Death of parent, Excrement, Confinement, Car accident, Fatphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, and Racial slurs
yavin_iv's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Violence, Suicide attempt, Physical abuse, Medical trauma, and Cancer
Moderate: Ableism, Homophobia, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Drug use, Drug abuse, Death of parent, and Child death
Minor: Pedophilia, Acephobia/Arophobia, and Cannibalism
lilcoppertop's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Cannibalism, Car accident, Child death, Death of parent, Homophobia, Pedophilia, and Suicidal thoughts
wai's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-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? Yes
3.75
I knew nothing about this book going into it. I had never heard of it before, and had just found it in a 2nd and Charles for a good price and thought the cover was beautiful and intriguing. I've been trying to really expand my reading list and read books from different countries and cultures, as an American. I cracked open this book having no idea what to expect.
In ways, I think that was a good thing - I didn't have other people's perceptions of it biasing me as I read. And this is absolutely the kind of book that people either love or hate, and both positions are equally valid. I think if I had read this when I was younger I would have hated it and probably not even finished it. But as it stands now, I found it to be a very thought provoking and complex book. I feel like I need to re-read it at least two more times to even begin to digest it. I have so many questions!
As many others have mentioned, the book largely deals with the issue of child abuse and contains many graphic passages depicting the father figure, Joe, beating his adopted son, Simon, who is also mute and communicates largely through sign language and writing. Throughout the novel we learn about this, about how Joe's extended family have reacted (disapproving but trying to rectify it within the family) and how Joe's past abuse has shaped him to also rely on violence. We get to know Joe prior to learning the extent of his physical abuse against Simon, and thus end up with a conflict that exists in many families, my own included - how do we reconcile Joe as a sympathetic figure who has faced multiple traumas himself vs the Joe we now see as abusive? It's a reality that many parents have fallen into and what's been dubbed the "Cycle of Abuse", where there is legitimate love and care on their end but only know how to handle children through the example of their own abusive parents, and ultimately leads to the confusion of their own children as they get older and have to confront how they feel about parents who traumatized them while simultaneously loved them. Ultimately though, I don't think this was handled properly and the redemption arc that Joe goes through with both prison time and the fantasy element of reconnecting with his Maori god(s)/religion. It's not enough and feels inappropriate, although I feel like in the 1980s people saw violence as punishment for children as acceptable generally (spanking/hiding/etc.) and that Joe was simply a "good man who took it too far" which does not translate to modern views on parenting and abuse.
Something that I didn't really understand was this minor theme of homosexuality that continued to be brought up as well. There are hints that Joe is gay or bisexual, having had a relationship with another man when he was young (a teenager or early 20's I think?) and yet gay men are condemned/seen as distasteful by the main characters. One is even an actual pedophile, and used to liken gayness to pedophilia, particularly in men. My impression was that Simon was also facing sexual abuse from someone, not Joe but one of his relatives that routinely babysat him, and there are some vague implications towards this, but nothing ever comes of it. It just fades off into the background of Joe's violence and ultimate arrest. This is also very strange given that the other main character, Kerewin, ultimately comes out as asexual to Joe when he asks what her thoughts on marriage were. She has no sexual urges or interest, has never had sex with anyone, and this doesn't change throughout the book. In comparison this is quite progressive and an aspect that I really liked, but it is definitely confusing overall in terms of what Hulme is trying to say about sexuality (and potentially gender?).
I also did not like the end of the book where everything seems to be wrapped up nice and tidy where Joe is redeemed and reaccepted into their family and everyone is together again, but I also wondered if that was actually meant to be seen as real? The magical realism element is most potent in these final passages, including showing Kerewin being healed in her stomach cancer by a mysterious figure and such. Joe and Simon's final passages had been left off in very vague ways that could be interpreted as them dying, and so I thought perhaps the epilogue was meant to be them in their Heaven, emphasizing a sort of What Could Have Been. I don't know.
I still am not sure exactly how I feel about this book but I know that it will stay with me for a very long time.
In ways, I think that was a good thing - I didn't have other people's perceptions of it biasing me as I read. And this is absolutely the kind of book that people either love or hate, and both positions are equally valid. I think if I had read this when I was younger I would have hated it and probably not even finished it. But as it stands now, I found it to be a very thought provoking and complex book. I feel like I need to re-read it at least two more times to even begin to digest it. I have so many questions!
As many others have mentioned, the book largely deals with the issue of child abuse and contains many graphic passages depicting the father figure, Joe, beating his adopted son, Simon, who is also mute and communicates largely through sign language and writing. Throughout the novel we learn about this, about how Joe's extended family have reacted (disapproving but trying to rectify it within the family) and how Joe's past abuse has shaped him to also rely on violence. We get to know Joe prior to learning the extent of his physical abuse against Simon, and thus end up with a conflict that exists in many families, my own included - how do we reconcile Joe as a sympathetic figure who has faced multiple traumas himself vs the Joe we now see as abusive? It's a reality that many parents have fallen into and what's been dubbed the "Cycle of Abuse", where there is legitimate love and care on their end but only know how to handle children through the example of their own abusive parents, and ultimately leads to the confusion of their own children as they get older and have to confront how they feel about parents who traumatized them while simultaneously loved them. Ultimately though, I don't think this was handled properly and the redemption arc that Joe goes through with both prison time and the fantasy element of reconnecting with his Maori god(s)/religion. It's not enough and feels inappropriate, although I feel like in the 1980s people saw violence as punishment for children as acceptable generally (spanking/hiding/etc.) and that Joe was simply a "good man who took it too far" which does not translate to modern views on parenting and abuse.
Something that I didn't really understand was this minor theme of homosexuality that continued to be brought up as well. There are hints that Joe is gay or bisexual, having had a relationship with another man when he was young (a teenager or early 20's I think?) and yet gay men are condemned/seen as distasteful by the main characters. One is even an actual pedophile, and used to liken gayness to pedophilia, particularly in men. My impression was that Simon was also facing sexual abuse from someone, not Joe but one of his relatives that routinely babysat him, and there are some vague implications towards this, but nothing ever comes of it. It just fades off into the background of Joe's violence and ultimate arrest. This is also very strange given that the other main character, Kerewin, ultimately comes out as asexual to Joe when he asks what her thoughts on marriage were. She has no sexual urges or interest, has never had sex with anyone, and this doesn't change throughout the book. In comparison this is quite progressive and an aspect that I really liked, but it is definitely confusing overall in terms of what Hulme is trying to say about sexuality (and potentially gender?).
I also did not like the end of the book where everything seems to be wrapped up nice and tidy where Joe is redeemed and reaccepted into their family and everyone is together again, but I also wondered if that was actually meant to be seen as real? The magical realism element is most potent in these final passages, including showing Kerewin being healed in her stomach cancer by a mysterious figure and such. Joe and Simon's final passages had been left off in very vague ways that could be interpreted as them dying, and so I thought perhaps the epilogue was meant to be them in their Heaven, emphasizing a sort of What Could Have Been. I don't know.
I still am not sure exactly how I feel about this book but I know that it will stay with me for a very long time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Violence, Physical abuse, and Grief
Moderate: Animal death, Blood, Child death, Death of parent, Drug use, Excrement, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Vomit, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Homophobia and Pedophilia
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