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muravyevaa's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
I would say, knowing the historical background, certain things quite a lot of sense to me. But if I were to be reading this book from a point of someone who doesn't know about the Cultural Revolution in China, sent-down youth, the Great Leap Forward, etc., I would be left puzzled and wouldn't understand the historical background of events.
It's a very multi-faceted story and almost every character deserves to be reflected on, especially in regards to the historical narrative and how it influences people or plays to their advantage to be abusive.
The narrative is a bit chaotic in terms of the timeline and is similar to flashbacks happening in one's head when you go through self-reflection on trauma that is happening on many levels – historically to the nation and personally to everyone living through such tough events. And as it happens during traumatising historical events, people's behaviour is far from perfection so every character in the book is always on the scale of grey, never painted in a definite black or white way (however, female characters tend to be more one-sided and being sexualised and objectified and we mostly see them through the typical male gaze)
It's a very multi-faceted story and almost every character deserves to be reflected on, especially in regards to the historical narrative and how it influences people or plays to their advantage to be abusive.
The narrative is a bit chaotic in terms of the timeline and is similar to flashbacks happening in one's head when you go through self-reflection on trauma that is happening on many levels – historically to the nation and personally to everyone living through such tough events. And as it happens during traumatising historical events, people's behaviour is far from perfection so every character in the book is always on the scale of grey, never painted in a definite black or white way (however, female characters tend to be more one-sided and being sexualised and objectified and we mostly see them through the typical male gaze)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Physical abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Suicide
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Pedophilia
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