Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Difficult Women by Roxane Gay

24 reviews

aprilhinkle's review

challenging dark emotional sad fast-paced

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

4.0

This book illuminated that the thing that makes women "difficult" is trauma, often inflicted by men, and the pain of trying to navigate that truama in a patriarchal world where you are always an object before you are a person. I was pulled fully into each story and thought I couldn't possibly read the next chapter unless it was about those same characters, but then I'd immediately get sucked into that next story and be fully engrossed all over again. This book exposes a dark, often unexamined place. It does offer some healing stories and hope, although on the whole I would not call this a hopeful book. A couple days after finishing it the taste of the book still lingers. This book is bewitching, for better or for worse. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Violence

breadwitchery's review

dark emotional 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? Yes

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Car accident, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Incest, Infertility, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, and Rape

Moderate: Fatphobia, Self harm, Vomit, Violence, Toxic relationship, and Sexual content

theinfinitebookcase's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Child death, Miscarriage, Kidnapping, Infertility, and Toxic relationship

ruthiethetoothie's review

challenging dark sad medium-paced

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

2.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship

emtur007's review

I found the short stories to be very repetitive. Each story circled around similar themes. <Spoiler>most stories had a woman who was in a relationship with a man and either hated him or loved him, despite him being good or bad. Sex is always involved.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Infertility, Misogyny, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

Minor: Body shaming and Miscarriage

amressing's review

challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Infertility, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Vomit, Misogyny, and Blood

chloeschapters's review

challenging dark emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

4.0

Has Roxane Gay single-handedly changed my mind on short story collections??? Because d a m n.

Dark, heart-wrenching, and with no lack of trigger warnings, Difficult Women is tough to get to but worthwhile. As always, some stories will resonate more than others, but DAMN IT can Roxane Gay WRITE. I think I maybe need to re-evaluate my approach to reading/engaging with short story collections (maybe they don't all need to come together in the end??? idk).

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body shaming, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Infertility, Kidnapping, Medical content, Mental illness, Violence, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Sexism, Rape, Racism, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Misogyny, and Miscarriage

willowbrii's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense 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? Yes

4.5

4.5 | Hard-hitting short story collection. Roxane Gay is a brilliant writer. I went through a roller coaster of emotions while reading this, but I always came back for more. Hard to tell if I enjoyed it as it was very difficult to get through. Nonetheless, I just let the stories take me for ride.

Stories that stuck out to me:
- La Negra Blanca
- Baby Arm
- North Country
- Requiem for a Glass Heart
- Bone Density
- I Am a Knife
- We Are All So Happy Now
- Glass

Heavy content warnings for this collection.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship

balladofreadingqueer's review

challenging dark 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

4.5

I liked this short story collection. The stories are of varying lengths but it felt like a cohesive collection.

The stories centre around women, who are viewed as difficult by partners, parents, children or society. Often these women are shown not to be reacting to things that have happened in their lives not ‘unnecessarily difficult’.

Many of the stories address themes of sexual and physical abuse and the subsequent impact of that this abuse. Other themes are acceptance, the mundane/everyday and uncertainty.

Some of the stories are difficult to read and have unlikable main characters who you wish would make better choices but this adds to the enjoyment of the stories for me.

Some of my favourite stories were The Sacrifice of Darkness, La Negra Blanca and Glass.

4.5* would recommend

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, and Sexual violence

booksandcoffeerequired's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Infertility, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Sexism, and Violence