I was so in shock when I found out that this was written by a female author because I was cringing at how the male and female characters were written. Every male character was either a rapist or an abuser - from the protagonist's rapist husband to her abusive father. Every female character was either so submissive or unloved yet independent. The only redeeming part about this book was how the sister-in-law immediately yelled at her husband for raping her sister - she knew that her sister who was mentally ill cannot consent to the sexual advances that he made. The bond between the sisters was also interesting to read about, though I wish it was developed from the beginning and not just from the middle part. The entire part about her husband which is in part two could have easily been scrapped away, it was unnecessary violence to me. 

Maybe I'm just tired of reading schizophrenic people being abused and hurt and vilified as a schizophrenic person myself. Maybe that's just why this book is just a generous 2 star or me. Objectively, the writing was not bad. The pacing was fluid. There was just so many things to dislike about the plot that I simply cannot rate it higher than that. 

Have you ever read a book and realized you were holding your breath the entire time as you're silently crying? This was what I went through reading The Death Of Vivek Oji. I yearned for justice for Vivek, for Elizabeth and Juju. I longed for warmness in a world of darkness = for their truths to be embraced so that they are free to just be.  

Akwaeke Emezi is one of my favourite authors and so this book was an automatic read for me. They are tremendous at retelling queer trauma and struggles without the unnecessary romanticisation of it. They know how to walk the line between unnecessary re-traumatising their readers and describing what queer trauma is for the protagonist. This book is not a casual read but it is an important story to be read, nonetheless. 

This book is the second novel from Balli Kaur Jaswal that I've picked up. While the author does not shy away from representing gay people and people with bipolar disorders in a Punjabi community, I find that it appears to be very stereotypical. Of course, the gay character is effeminate and gentle and of course, the bipolar character engages in reckless sexual activities as she is deemed lazy and irresponsible. However, the writer did a good job of telling their stories - of strength and survival. The writer tells of the importance of diagnosis and how it helps an individual to cope and others to be more supportive.  It was definitely an interesting work of fiction as the background is of the changing nation of Singapore. 

My rating is arbitrary.  I most definitely recommend picking up this book, along with her other works, because representation in literature is so important.