Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

The September House by Carissa Orlando

6 reviews

bowlsofpasta's review

dark funny slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Body horror, Blood, Violence, and Death

Moderate: Child death and Kidnapping

Minor: Sexual assault

saltycoffee's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cannibalism, Body horror, Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, Child death, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Dementia, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Gore, Vomit, Violence, Torture, Mental illness, and Kidnapping

brit0929's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Cursing, Child abuse, Mental illness, Addiction, Gore, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Torture, Violence, Blood, Body horror, Murder, Cannibalism, Child death, Death, and Physical abuse

purstiltski's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Murder, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Blood, Death, Domestic abuse, and Violence

Moderate: Alcohol, Child death, Death of parent, Self harm, Cursing, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Alcoholism

Minor: Cannibalism, Child abuse, Vomit, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Kidnapping, Panic attacks/disorders, Animal death, and Mental illness

queersubtext's review against another edition

dark reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Murder, Body horror, Gaslighting, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Fire/Fire injury, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Alcoholism, Cannibalism, Vomit, and Kidnapping

bambooboy's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful lighthearted sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

It can be hard to write an allegory for domestic violence without coming off insensitive or ham-fisted. In The September House, Orlando manages to gracefully use the metaphor of a haunted house beautifully. This book was darkly funny, with engaging characters that keep you wanting more of them after you put the book down.

I was concerned that she was going to go the coward's route and have the protagonist institutionalized after being characterized as crazy, but luckily she does not!

There is real growth among the characters and you find yourself rooting for them, even those that you might be surprised by. The descriptions are artistically disgusting, and the detached nature of the protagonist's voice is startlingly realistic. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, Alcohol, Physical abuse, Body horror, Death of parent, Grief, Kidnapping, Confinement, Death, Murder, Suicide attempt, Torture, Toxic relationship, Animal death, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Child abuse, Violence, Vomit, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Suicide, Cannibalism, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Cursing, and Bullying

Minor: Stalking, Self harm, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Detailed description of content warnings below

--Father is an alcoholic, who becomes sober and then relapses
--Father is emotionally and physically abusive to mother; attempts to be abusive to daughter so mother removes her from home
--Multiple child murders, graphic descriptions of torture and murder
--Gaslighting protagonist as to existence of ghosts
--Many graphic descriptions of bodies being twisted and deformed, tortured
--Protagonist is abused emotionally and physically for many years and the ways she copes are covered
--Multiple people commit suicide in the house, deaths described
--Multiple descriptions of vomit, especially vomiting flies
--One character is murdered in a fireplace, attempts made to burn entire house down
--Daughter attempts to institutionalize mother