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thesapphiccelticbookworm's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
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? No
4.25
Graphic: Confinement, Racism, Xenophobia, and Classism
Moderate: Gun violence, Homophobia, Transphobia, Police brutality, and Murder
Minor: Sexual assault, Slavery, and Medical content
serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Now You See Us explores the lives of women working as domestic workers or helpers in Singapore. The story follows three different Filipino women and a significant portion of the plot revolves around their belief that a fellow migrant worker charged with the murder of her employer has been falsely accused. Their investigation into this was a little improbable but I wasn’t unduly bothered. For me the real strength of the book was the way it highlighted the vulnerability of female foreign migrant worker to abuses by employers, agencies and Singaporean society in general. Even good employers overstepped boundaries and created difficulties for their helpers, albeit with kind intentions. I couldn’t help cheering when feisty Donita, who was subject to the worst abuse by her employer, seized an opportunity to have her say and get revenge in a wonderfully public way. This book has much in common with Christy Lefteri’s Songbirds. They’d make a good pairing. There are also a couple of LGBTQ storylines woven into the plot. They are minor but they are definitely more than tokenism, and add to the picture of Singaporean society and to one of the characters especially.
Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Transphobia, Xenophobia, and Classism
laurensilva's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Graphic: Xenophobia
Minor: Homophobia and Transphobia
ninjamuse's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Transphobia, Xenophobia, and Classism
Moderate: Deadnaming, Death, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Mental illness, Abortion, Murder, and Deportation