Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

Evil Eye by Etaf Rum

126 reviews

judah_g's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Violence, and Misogyny

Moderate: Misogyny, Mental illness, and Xenophobia

Minor: Genocide

andrewhatesham's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

This started out really good but I began to lose interest about 65% of the way through, as the plot kind of runs in circles and is also somewhat predictable. I prefer A Woman is No Man which I read earlier this year.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse

Moderate: Emotional abuse

Minor: Death of parent, Grief, Racism, and Mental illness

kenzibir's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.0

Heart wrenching and loving. Made me hate and love the story 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting

Moderate: Domestic abuse and Violence

Minor: War and Child abuse

what_ari_reads's review against another edition

emotional inspiring 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse and Domestic abuse

alexcooper88's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense slow-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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Emotional abuse

jennireadsmaybe's review against another edition

challenging emotional 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

How do I write a review for Evil Eye? How do I capture how much this book means to me? 

Evil Eye follows Yara, a Palestinian American woman, who after marrying and leaving her conservative family behind in Brooklyn is seemingly living the dream. She's gotten to do everything that her mother never could. She's working at a local college, married to a nice man, and raising her two daughters. Everything's great. Except it doesn't feel like enough.  

Etaf Rum is a forced to be reckoned with; there's no other way to put it. Evil Eye explores generational trauma, motherhood, depression, friendship, and the deeply personal desire to be loved by the people around us. It's a hard read, but a necessary one in my opinion. 

There were so many lines throughout the book that were a punch in the gut. Rum's writing is at once beautiful and harrowing, but I never find myself lost by it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Gaslighting, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Mental illness

Moderate: Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, and Racism

sarah_thebooknerd's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

This book is one that will sit with me for a long time. Etaf Rum is an auto read author for me and this book solidified that. The way in which she touches on families and generational trauma and breaking cycles and also mental health with this book is huge. I had such a connection to the FMC with the way that she would bottle things inside and it would get to a point where it would boil over.  Be kind on yourself as you pick this one up. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Colonisation

koiolee's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

2.5

This book has a purpose. But it's not really my cup of tea. I normally love books about marginalized communities fighting what they know to move forward, change, heal, but this book felt more like a therapy session than a story of healing. There are long segments of typical therapy advice, stories, jargon, that makes the book drag on. There's metaphors that the author tells you explicitly what they mean, instead of an implicit nod towards. It feels like you're dumbing it down for your audience, when your audience is likely college-level, college-educated, media literate readers. You're writing for a small audience, when your actual audience are more or less people like me.
EDIT: It gives Catcher in the Rye vibes omg.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Islamophobia, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Sexism, Grief, Racism, Panic attacks/disorders, Emotional abuse, and Infidelity

Moderate: Death of parent

Minor: Schizophrenia/Psychosis and Self harm

amyjo25's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts

windmillofwords's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse

Moderate: Emotional abuse

Minor: Infidelity