Never Let Me Go in Do Better: SFF without Sexual Violence

Jan 31, 2020 Ella Rose rated it liked it

Shelves: fiction, classics, lbtq-poc-bipoc

I’m not really sure how to rate this properly. It’s well-written and engrossing, but incredibly sad in the sense of inevitable defeat. It’s also far to easy to imagine a world like this story’s as society has always looked away from horror aimed at those deemed “lesser”.

1 like · Like · see review

Nov 10, 2021 Gauri rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: tear-evoking-sad, science-fiction, owned

Right off, I very much liked the narrative style. I cannot recall if I've ever read a book that focuses primarily on the narrator recalling their own memories. In that sense, it was very accurate. Sometimes Kath would focus on trivial details like the colour of her blouse, or the shadow falling on the fern patch where she sat having a conversation with either of her friends, instead of actually on the conversation. In any other book with an 'action and telling' narration style, it would've been Right off, I very much liked the narrative style. I cannot recall if I've ever read a book that focuses primarily on the narrator recalling their own memories. In that sense, it was very accurate. Sometimes Kath would focus on trivial details like the colour of her blouse, or the shadow falling on the fern patch where she sat having a conversation with either of her friends, instead of actually on the conversation. In any other book with an 'action and telling' narration style, it would've been the opposite. I think this narrative style drove home the point of the whole story which to me was Kath reconciling her life and clinging on to every small bit of memory she could of a life long gone.

As to the characters, I sometimes disliked Ruth, but then the next moment I would warm up to her, just like Kath did. I think Kath did a good job at showing the toxic codependence of their relationship without herself really being aware of it. Tommy is a bit hard to place for me, and I'm still thinking about what I feel about him. Ruth felt like a believer who'd react negatively to the truth while Kath seemed like she'd accepted everything (it didn't even seem like she had to actively 'accept' anything).

I liked how the struggle of Miss Emily and Madame parallels well with so many things that have happened/happen in our world, where because something does not affect our lives negatively, on the contrary benefits us, we are willing to ignore the real bitter truth behind it.

I liked that the book wasn't about a big struggle against injustice, but rather them trying to live the best they could in their very limited lives. I kept on thinking why Kath didn't just run off, but I think as we neared the end of the book and she, her life, she was only trying to be more close to what she had rather than escape from it and that felt sad to me.

I'm very pumped to dive into other works by the author. I liked his detached storytelling approach, where even though the writing was very practical and lacked emotions, it managed to evoke feelings of melancholy. I think this story will stay with me for a long time, on how deep childhood bonds and memories are. ...more

Like · see review