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jaybird_reads's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
I will begin this by saying that I am a queer disabled man, and it is for that reason (and my insatiable, sometimes harmful curiosity) that I read this book.
This book is not some great gay novel as so many have claimed. It is not even written about queerness; it just uses sex with men as one of the many ways that Jude is physically and emotionally tortured. Jude’s sexuality, trauma, and disability is not written with empathy — it is written with a sick fascination that is voyeuristic in nature.
Some of the characters are more than lovable. Some of the scenes and relationships are beyond beautiful. I cried over the first description of Jude’s pain because it was so similar to my own. I cried over the care that Harold showed Jude. I don’t care. The point of this book could have been achieved in 200 less pages and with less than half of the atrocities that were done to Jude.
I might write more later, but for now I have finally sat down and read (in one week) this 800 page trauma-porn novel that so many people are undeservedly obsessed with (most likely because our culture is obsessed with trauma and abuse, especially that visited upon queer men) and can finally say from personal experience: do not fucking read this book.
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, Medical content, Self harm, Sexual assault, Torture, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Car accident, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Violence, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Trafficking, Vomit, Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Stalking, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Acephobia/Arophobia and Alcohol
Minor: Cancer, Eating disorder, and Fatphobia
lanid's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Addiction, Body horror, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Abandonment, Trafficking, Blood, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Gore, Medical content, and Pedophilia
Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Homophobia, Chronic illness, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, Car accident, Death, Dysphoria, Ableism, and Biphobia
Minor: Acephobia/Arophobia and Biphobia
stitchbooks22's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Violence, Eating disorder, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Classism, Cultural appropriation, Death, Adult/minor relationship, Biphobia, Car accident, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Emotional abuse, Vomit, Drug use, Gore, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Religious bigotry, Suicidal thoughts, Fatphobia, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Infidelity, Medical content, Outing, Ableism, Acephobia/Arophobia, Addiction, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Cancer, Child death, Drug abuse, Dysphoria, Abandonment, Suicide attempt, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, and Terminal illness
katharinaamaliae's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Car accident, Death, Acephobia/Arophobia, Eating disorder, Grief, Homophobia, Chronic illness, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Addiction, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Adult/minor relationship, Fire/Fire injury, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Suicide attempt, Violence, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Gore, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, and Pedophilia
feijoamuffin's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Alcohol, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Sexual content, Self harm, Rape, Blood, Car accident, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Death, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, Body shaming, Adult/minor relationship, Addiction, Vomit, Violence, Toxic relationship, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Kidnapping, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, and Grief
Moderate: Biphobia and Acephobia/Arophobia
kirstenf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Eating disorder, Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Rape, Suicide, Kidnapping, Abandonment, Suicide attempt, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Child abuse, Self harm, Medical content, Sexual violence, Grief, Domestic abuse, and Ableism
Moderate: Child death, Violence, Drug abuse, Death of parent, Addiction, Confinement, Acephobia/Arophobia, Alcohol, Death, Vomit, Chronic illness, and Car accident
olivia119's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Ableism, Child abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Medical trauma, Death, Eating disorder, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Acephobia/Arophobia, Addiction, Chronic illness, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Torture, Toxic relationship, Blood, Body horror, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content
chomperpupper's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Ableism, Blood, Bullying, Car accident, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Classism, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Acephobia/Arophobia, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Racial slurs, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Trafficking, Torture, Toxic relationship, Body horror, Medical trauma, Racism, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Vomit, and Suicide attempt
gigireadswithkiki's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
- The fatphobia: this book constantly ridicules fat persons, both in the language that is used to craft their existence, or in the way that these characters are treated by others (see: JB).
- The transphobia: in one scene, a side character is having, what is presumed to be, a transitioning party. At no point within the text does the author nor the characters switch their use of pronouns after learning this.
- The friendships: I've heard people talk MANY times about how this book is such a good marker of friendship. It is not. The friendships in this book are unhealthy, borderline abusive. The characters hold their friends on pedestals, refusing to see any flaws from their friends. The OTHER OPTION is that the characters view their friends suffering and flat out, selfishly refuse to see past it, as if nothing is wrong.
- The depiction of queer relationships: Yanagihara disgusts me. The constant depiction of MLM relationships as something "wrong", as something "disgusting" eventually culminating to Queer tragedy felt so utterly wrong. She did not handle Queer issues with any grace, instead choosing to force trauma upon trauma upon Queer characters
- The trauma: at a certain point in the book, I started to roll my eyes at the amount that Jude suffered. Not because he deserved it, but because each time the reader thinks things might get to a place that is okay, Yanagihara thrusts something in the readers faces, as if to say "NO! LOOK! LOOK! ACTUALLY IT"S JUST BAD!" I don't fucking care that she intended this book to be a reflection of cherishing life's happy moments. What came across was horrendous.
- The self harm: after a number of repetitions, the self harm in the book felt so fucking blasè. Yes we know this character is harming themselves. why the fuck did you feel the need to detail every single tiny detail of it. every. single. time. To what purpose does this serve but to the author's disgusting twisted sense of shock value.
I don't know why i finished this book. I truly don't. I'm reevaluating the last couple days of my life and the use of my free time. Don't read this book. If you're looking for depictions of trauma on a similar scale but with ACTUAL meaning and purpose within a story, just read The Poppy War for christssake.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Body shaming, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Forced institutionalization, Homophobia, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Abandonment, Ableism, Addiction, Car accident, Child abuse, Confinement, Drug abuse, Drug use, Biphobia, Acephobia/Arophobia, Stalking, Torture, Toxic friendship, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Outing, Body horror, Rape, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Transphobia, Fatphobia, Bullying, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Pedophilia, Dysphoria, Excrement, Gaslighting, and Gore
viireads's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Hate crime, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Drug use, Death of parent, Acephobia/Arophobia, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Fatphobia, Grief, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Suicide, Misogyny, Medical content, Dysphoria, Addiction, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Car accident, Vomit, Transphobia, Abandonment, Ableism, Chronic illness, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Suicide attempt