Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

Post-Traumatic by Chantal V. Johnson

16 reviews

chasinggrace's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective 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

4.0

Vivian is so relatable to the female psyche that you want to hate her, but you can’t, because staunchly hating her would ignore how much you have in common with her. 

The writing is refreshingly modern without being cringey (which doesn’t mean that you won’t cringe at Vivian, but to her credit, she is funny). 

I really think this book is a fantastic snapshot of the modern anxious woman and how she must navigate a world that is positively fucked. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Body shaming, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Forced institutionalization, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Rape, Classism, Medical content, Fatphobia, Drug abuse, Misogyny, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Addiction, Sexism, Panic attacks/disorders, Cursing, Racism, and Sexual content

creativerunnings's review against another edition

dark emotional funny reflective 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Cultural appropriation, Eating disorder, Classism, Death, Alcohol, Cursing, Toxic relationship, Drug use, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Dysphoria, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Rape, Confinement, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse

jtpgdavey's review

dark informative reflective sad 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Misogyny, Eating disorder, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Body shaming, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, and Fatphobia

Moderate: Cursing, Racism, Gaslighting, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Homophobia

Minor: Pedophilia, Lesbophobia, and Adult/minor relationship

corinnereads7's review

dark hopeful reflective 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? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Eating disorder

schwelo's review

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad 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? It's complicated

4.5

This is a story about surviving trauma, taking control back, and struggling when old coping skills no longer work. There are moments of darkness and anxiety, but it’s told with a kind of brutal honesty and wit that keeps you engaged in the story and understanding the main character’s perspective even as her life unravels and she finds a new path forward.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Fatphobia, Physical abuse, Rape, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Sexual assault, Body shaming, and Child abuse

selfdubbed's review

challenging dark emotional funny inspiring reflective sad 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Rape, and Self harm

sha's review against another edition

challenging dark slow-paced

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

0.5

I liked a few quotes (hence the .5 stars), but none of the characters were likeable and the pace was so slow. Plus a cat was killed and that immediately makes it 0 stars for me. Also wow look at the tigger warnings. I wish I didn’t read this.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Fatphobia, Vomit, Toxic friendship, Sexual assault, Rape, Pedophilia, Panic attacks/disorders, Body shaming, Drug use, Eating disorder, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, and Toxic relationship

ebonyrose's review

dark emotional funny reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

I have a soft spot for unlikeable, insane, wretched women characters in novels. I love them. Love when they are irredeemable, crass, and awful people. And, even so, the main character of this novel was almost too much for me. She was so...abhorrent. Judgemental, mean, vindictive, selfish beyond measure and very unpleasant. But Vivian was also sharp, funny, fierce and deeply traumatized. It was hard not to get pulled into the deepest and darkest recesses of her mind and not begin to root for her, just a little at first. And then a lot. Post-Traumatic has a meandering plot following Vivian's life as a psych ward lawyer, pothead and dating addict, but this is a character study first and foremost. The plot is really very secondary to the deep interiority of this novel.

I was struck by the writing in this novel. It is that distinctly millennial style - sharp and darkly funny, with such crystal clear and honest observations about people and relationships that it almost takes your breath away. So many moments in this novel where I'd stop and think I thought I was the only fucked up monster whose ever had a (weird/ violent/ bizarre/ scary/ devastaing etc etc) thought like that?! In the vein of Normal People, or Luster or Insatiable, reading this book was cathartic, frustrating, frightening, and illuminating all at once. I won't forget it any time soon.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Dysphoria, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Classism, Sexual assault, Violence, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual harassment, Grief, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Drug use, and Misogyny

raelong12's review

dark emotional funny hopeful reflective 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

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Sexual content, Fatphobia, and Body shaming

Moderate: Mental illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, and Child abuse

octobermontoya's review against another edition

dark funny reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.5

Post-Traumatic is a survivor story, although it isn't always in-your-face obvious. The story revolves around Vivian, a straight, Afro-Latina, millennial lawyer/patient advocate who works in a New York psychiatric hospital. Most of the book follows Vivian as she contends with her relationship with her biological family, her attempts to self medicate with alcohol, weed, and men, and her eventual

PTSD diagnosis

. The book is full of Vivian's dark sense of humor, which she shares with her best friend, a queer Black woman (Jane) who is also a survivor. Vivian is relatable in that she's messy and anxious, and it's easy to root for her even when she's making embarrassing and unethical decisions. Before getting the audio book, I read a review which described Post-Traumatic as cool and stylish, and despite the seriousness of central themes of the book, I agree with those adjectives. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Alcoholism, Forced institutionalization, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Police brutality