Reviews with content warning for Mental illness - Ripe

Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

elharpwhy's review

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dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

2.25

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sydresnik's review against another edition

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dark emotional

Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.25

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katilein's review

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dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

4,5 with a different ending. Check the TW before reading.

Great writing but a big bummer.

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alysereadsbooks's review

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.25

Devastating view of modern life and the dystopia of the modern world. While I liked the metaphor of the black hole and depression, it felt a little heavy-handed at times. It was still an insightful and quick read and a gutting examination of work culture.

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sarahweyand's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.75

I guess I should start by saying I don't think this book is for everyone, and if you hate it, I can totally understand why. Much like Go as a River, which I also read this month, this book doesn't feel like it has much of a plot to it. More of a hard-hitting slice-of-life. I just happen to really relate to some of what's brought up here due to my career as a woman in tech.

I enjoyed the prose and the audiobook narration, and I was eager to know what would happen next even if I couldn't discern what the conflict was, if there even was one. I just felt like in another life, it could be me, and that was a captivating thought.

The *gimmick* of this book that I'm not totally sure I understood was the black hole. I can appreciate it as a metaphor and motif and its purpose thematically - in theory - but it felt like it didn't play enough of a role in the story. I was just expecting more, so that was a bit of a let-down.

All in all I was pleasantly surprised here. I probably wouldn't recommend it to most folks, but I appreciate it for what it is.

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milliemark's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

An all-consuming read about the trappings of the corporate world, that paints modern capitalist society in a dystopian light and really delves into how the pressures and expectations of jobs can take their toll on our mental health.

Set in Silicon Valley the story follows Cassie in her day to day life working at a start-up and how the stresses of her work life, the rising costs of where she lives and the horrific disparity between the wealthy and the poor in her city are slowly consuming her.

The imagery of 'the black hole' as a metaphor for Cassie's anxieties and depression - that frequently swell, threatening to consume her - was a clever addition to narrative. Etter's writing is beautifully melancholic and sharp, and is really what made this book shine for me.

I do really recommend this book and I was totally gripped by it when I was reading - but I would say it's for everyone, and has a heavy theme of depression worth noting if you're thinking about picking this up!

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rachaelwho's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad medium-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

Deeply depressed and depressing. Everything felt inevitable, though for a brief shining moment here and there I thought that

Cassie would destroy the company before she died

. That was the main will she/won't she of the book for me, otherwise I could see it all in front of me, but not in a bad way. It did take me a weirdly long time to realize that

Cassie had reproduced her relationship with her parents in her friends

.
I would not have called this magical realism. There's no indication that the black hole is literally, physically there.

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