Reviews tagging 'Drug abuse'

Post-Traumatic by Chantal V. Johnson

7 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. 

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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

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

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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

filmnoirz's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

the main character, vivian, was insufferable more often than not but it was so difficult to not be sympathetic towards her. not an excuse for any of her actions, but i understood how her past lead her there and even saw a bit of myself in her. the comments about fatness and body issues were harsh and uncomfortable, and the ending felt a bit rushed. however, i think it’s an interesting read that covers the effects of past abuse and the “obligation” to the family.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fatphobia and Eating disorder

Moderate: Drug use and Drug abuse

Minor: Violence, Child abuse, Sexual violence, and Physical abuse

muddymind's review

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Body shaming, Sexism, Panic attacks/disorders, Fatphobia, Rape, Misogyny, and Child abuse

Moderate: Pedophilia and Drug abuse

jaiari12's review

emotional 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Panic attacks/disorders, and Fatphobia

Moderate: Child abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment

tetedump's review

dark emotional funny fast-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Self harm, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Alcohol, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Eating disorder, Incest, Murder, Pedophilia, Police brutality, Rape, Physical abuse, and Vomit

travelseatsreads's review

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

Post-Traumatic is an intense, messy and quite dark character study which focuses on trauma and the longstanding impact it has had on our protagonist, Vivian. This is a book which a lot of people may not get or indeed be in the right head space for right now but for those who find it at the right time it is a powerful look at the aftermath of trauma on the mind and body which will have a deep and meaningful impact. While it's not a book I can say I technically 'enjoyed' reading I certainly took so much from it and am so glad I read it. 

It's quite astonishing that this is a debut novel because in all honesty the level of writing is quite unlike any I've read before. I was completely struck by how Johnson was able to convey the feeling of hypervigilance so well within the pages and on so many occasions I felt myself there at one with Vivian in a state of over analytical hyper vigilant stupor. The constant unease of hypervigilance is an incredibly hard state to even describe yet somehow Johnson makes it jump straight from the pages. 

Trauma and its effects seems to be quite a fashionable topic within fiction at the moment, however, for the most part the stories are woven around a girl who is deeply broken, unable to function or even in some cases has resorted to enforcing her own trauma on others. Chantal deserves huge praise for showcasing a girl who has experienced overwhelming trauma and is still living. Sure, she may be damaged and have a multitude of bad coping mechanisms that cause her to make many bad choices, but within Vivian the author shows us someone can experience a huge amount of trauma and still be a fun, vibrant and contributing person.

Something which is also rarely spoken about normally yet is dealt with amazingly within Post-Traumatic is the concept of estrangement from a biological family or family members. On the rare occasion you see it referenced within books it's a throwaway side plot with little significance and is usually down to something trivial making it seem like a totally taboo concept. However, Chantal gives it the full fleshed airing it deserves and really questions at what point is blood thicker than water and when is the right time to step away. Post-traumatic highlights the importance of self-care and having the ability to walk away from hugely damaging situations despite the social stigma and creating your own chosen family which is right and safe for you. 

Despite, the book showcasing such dark and intense subject matters there is an overwhelming sense of humour and wit bubbling through its pages. Vivian exhibits a survivor's gallows humour and is able to make jokes where others would shirk away in horror. Her deeply witty and satirical take on things shows to allow her to detach from her previous traumas and live some days with pure enjoyment and those moments are truly refreshing to read. 

On top of the topics I've mentioned above the book also deals brilliantly with issues of race, intersectionality, shame, attachment issues and so many more of the other impacts trauma can have on a person but I have to stop typing at some point.

This can only be described as an essential read, it is an overwhelmingly brilliant debut unlike any I've seen before. Just please be mindful of your own headspace before going into it. 
(Very happy to discuss trigger warnings or content etc. with anyone who is considering picking it up)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Racism, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Alcohol, Body shaming, Child death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Forced institutionalization, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship