Reviews tagging 'Suicide attempt'

The Strangers by Katherena Vermette

15 reviews

lillypowell's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Addiction, and Child death

Moderate: Alcohol, Abortion, Drug use, Medical trauma, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Alcoholism, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, and Medical content

Minor: Colonisation and Pandemic/Epidemic

slpslp's review

challenging dark

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Suicide attempt, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Sexual assault

Minor: Pedophilia

birdiful's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad 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: Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Child abuse, and Child death

Minor: Pedophilia, Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, and Suicide

serendipitysbooks's review

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

 The Strangers is an illuminating and compassionate read exploring intergenerational trauma in a Métis family. It unfolds over five years and is the story of four women from three generations. Margaret was studying to become a lawyer, under pressure from herself and others to overcome low expectations of Indigenous people, when an unexpected pregnancy derailed her plans. Life did not turn out the way she wanted and she is angry, resentful and bitter. In the present her daughter Elsie is battling addiction, wanting to become clean and to be there for her daughters but plague by grief and demons and constantly relapsing. Meanwhile her oldest daughter Phoenix is in a youth detention facility while Cedar-Sage is moved around the foster care system before being able to move in with her father, who she’s never known, and step-family.

It was tragic seeing how the Stranger family became estranged from each other. This was precipitated by the death of Annie the family matriarch and the sale of the family home, and exacerbated by hurt women being unable to look after themselves let alone nurture and support others. Yet the role of government institution and systems, underresourced yes but also arguably focussed on the wrong things, should not be minimised. Towards the end there was a small yet pivotal scene, where I felt if another choice had been made the lives of at least three of the four women could have been very different. In many ways this was a depressing story, yet the love the women had for each other was as undeniable as it was imperfect, and the novel ended in a way that offered glimmers of hope.

Definitely a recommended read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction

Moderate: Suicide attempt

Minor: Sexual assault and Child abuse

dnlrbchd's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Medical content, Abortion, Child death, Emotional abuse, Grief, War, Violence, Abandonment, and Death of parent

Minor: Colonisation, Child abuse, and Pedophilia

soobooksalot's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective 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

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug abuse, Suicide attempt, Child death, Addiction, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Abortion, Alcohol, Death of parent, Drug use, Mental illness, and Pregnancy

erinnz's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective 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

4.25

A beautiful text showing the depths of generational trauma and the sorrow that comes with it. A non-preachy, yet tearful and powerful, story of what’s it like to be systematically oppressed, in every possible way, for years and years, through generations.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction and Drug abuse

Moderate: Abortion, Child death, Mental illness, Racism, and Suicide attempt

alisonburnis's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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? Yes

3.75

The Strangers doesn’t hold back, laying bare trauma, substance use, abuse, assault, incarceration, foster care, and even more pain. Loosely connected to Vermette’s novel The Break, this is a companion, diving more into the life of Phoenix from the first book, and her family. 

Vermette is excellent at taking trauma and tragedy and making it a story of love and hope. The Strangers isn’t as tight as The Break, and it touches on the pandemic in a way that didn’t work for me (possibly because I’m not ready yet), but it is still a solid book, asking questions about trauma and evading simple judgment or providing answers. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Abortion, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Racial slurs, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Violence

biancadubois's review against another edition

challenging emotional 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? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism and Drug abuse

Moderate: Suicide attempt

francestea's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative sad medium-paced

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

5.0

Wow, this book did not disappoint. It’s just as good as The Break (maybe even better) with a few overlapping characters that I liked catching up with. Vermette can really write.  Her characters are sympathetic -in that they are likeable (or at least understandable)- and incredibly well rounded. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment and Child death

Moderate: Abortion, Addiction, Cursing, Drug abuse, Grief, Pregnancy, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Death and Death of parent