Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

The Devourers by Indra Das

18 reviews

simareading's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Rape, Sexual violence, Self harm, Body horror, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Abortion, Death, Colonisation, and Excrement

Minor: Homophobia

talonsontypewriters's review

adventurous challenging dark mysterious 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Animal death, Body horror, Cannibalism, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, Violence, Death, Murder, Rape, and Death of parent

Moderate: Kidnapping, Child death, Abandonment, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Self harm, Sexism, War, Drug abuse, Misogyny, Pregnancy, and Vomit

Minor: Classism, Homophobia, Transphobia, Colonisation, Abortion, Dysphoria, Religious bigotry, Xenophobia, and Racism

Smoking. Urination. Discussion of and explicit descriptions of rape, as well as depiction of aftermath, but no extended scene. Sexual coercion, victim blaming/justification of rape (by character; criticized by others and narrative), discrimination against sex workers. Pregnancy and birth by rape. Decapitation. Metaphorical mentions of bestiality. Sexual relationships in a shapeshifter-unique dynamic compared to but not necessarily equivalent to parent-child dynamics, where one party has sometimes been raised by the other since youth; discussed and alluded to, but not graphically shown on-page.

sofipitch's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

5.0

This book was amazing. I honestly expected genre fiction, just run of the mill horror with werewolves but this book is so nuanced and poignant. The way it explores what it means to be made from both our parents, and the theme of shapeshifters, and how you don't realize Alok's interest until the very end. Simply superb 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Body horror, Violence, and Excrement

Moderate: Death of parent, Blood, Gore, and Animal death

Minor: Pregnancy

woweewhoa's review

adventurous emotional reflective slow-paced

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

4.5

This is a very good book about being alive, and experiencing the world as yourself and the people who imprint on your actions, thoughts, and memories. This is a very contemplative story that definitely has its slow points in the middle of the book, and don't let that discourage you like it almost did me, as the ending is very good and honestly is the reason I like this book so much. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Violence, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Death, and Rape

Moderate: Drug use, Sexual assault, Excrement, Gore, Pregnancy, Death of parent, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexism

aardwyrm's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

5.0

Like all the best horror, weird, gross, kinda horny, never fully explained, rich and dreadful and spooky and gory, gets its claws in and won't let go. Warning: One of the POV characters is a rapist. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Abandonment, Alcohol, Blood, Cannibalism, Classism, Rape, Child death, Death, Drug use, Excrement, Homophobia, Suicide, Violence, War, Abortion, Animal death, Body horror, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Sexism, Sexual assault, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Kidnapping, Stalking, Vomit, Xenophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, and Torture

solovei's review against another edition

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? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cannibalism

Minor: Death of parent

whatellisreadnext's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad slow-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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Violence

rorikae's review

dark 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

‘The Devourers’ by Indra Das follows the story of shapeshifting creatures in India through two narratives translated by a college professor. 
The frame story focuses on Alok, a college professor who encounters a stranger one night in Kolkata who starts to tell him a story. The stranger asks Alok to translate two scrolls, which tell the stories of a shapeshifting creature and the woman that he is obsessed with. These stories weave together with the frame narrative to create a fable that leaks into the present. 
Das creates a fable that is wrapped in rich prose. His use of language is easy to understand but evocative. I listened to this book on audio and it leant itself to that format. 
Though the characters in the story aren’t necessarily likable, I was still interested in what was going to happen to them. The story is very focused on the two narratives that are told through the scrolls so we don’t get as much characterization for the professor in the frame narrative as I would have liked. Das discusses a number of themes in this work including hunger, obsession, and the influence of others on our own personalities. This last theme is explored in a visceral way through the fact that the shape-shifting creatures, sometimes called werewolves, sometimes something more, gain the memories of the humans that they eat. 
I would recommend this book, particularly if you are looking for stories steeped in folklore and with rich writing. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Rape, Sexual content, and Violence