Reviews

Brotherless Night: A Novel by V.V. Ganeshananthan

karrative's review against another edition

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

4.0

Normally, I often do not know what to say in answer to the lovable characters question, but this novel makes terrorists quite lovable so it was a firm yes.  It is a political take on coming-of-age novel where intially 16 year old Sashi, in addition to studying to become a doctor and having a crash on the cute neighbour K, gets swept under in the civil war and Tamil resistance. 
I wish I had read this before I read the Seven Moons (which I also liked, wacky surrealism and a hilarious narrator) because this one is very well-structured and thus incredibly informative. Easier to follow even if you have no prior knowledge of the political landscape. The main character is incredibly realistically and movingly portrayed and you do root for her. Her (lack of) romance with K is absolutely heart-breaking and I was really not prepared for K dying (although it probably was predictable if you knew the Sri-Lankan history better). The interplays of the political and the personal were richly presented and thought-provoking. In general, this is a very good novel but I am wondering why it won over Enter Ghost, which seems to me, had all that, and the added edge of craft-based orginality.

sarahrosel's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

camille_3012's review against another edition

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challenging dark informative sad fast-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

4.5

riabobs's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad

5.0

youneverarrived's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative tense 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? No

5.0

aliiloue's review against another edition

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

5.0

I'm not sure i have the words for this book yet. the start is quite slow but it picks up over the course of the middle third. at times the characterisation could feel flat and yet by the end i felt i knew them so intimately that i found myself crying. the things that happen within the book are often brutal but we see them through an almost clinical eye. we don't sit and stare ghoulishly at the terrible things that happen. we are told them and then we move on and the picture builds and builds. 

it's a beautifully written book and i'm glad i read it.

emmajanereads's review against another edition

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

5.0

maddy_brown99's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.5

An excellent work of historical fiction. Wow. I highly recommend this to anyone who wants to watch a character grow up and struggle to do what's right in a world shaped by factors far out of her control. Incredibly compelling.
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redwavereads's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

annekap's review against another edition

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emotional informative sad

4.5

An excellent book club read. The author does a wonderful job of unpicking a complicated conflict and laying out in excruciating detail the human cost of a civil war. It’s meticulous and devastating, although the characterisation felt a little flat at times, like the story was more important than the protagonist. I loved the way it’s told like a story, with urgency - “I want you to understand”.