Reviews with content warning for Schizophrenia/Psychosis - Un oscuro scrutare

Reviews tagging 'Schizophrenia/Psychosis '

Un oscuro scrutare by Philip K. Dick

12 reviews

wesly82's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
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

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warped_star's review against another edition

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challenging dark funny sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Probably one of my favorite books. It was incredibly entertaining and even funny at times, but also dove into true mania behind addiction.

The split personas in the story are really interesting and add that sci-fi flare we love PKD for, but the setting wasn’t too heavy on the tech. The story allowed the tech to just be subtle enough to allow the reader a very relatable near future environment. I also felt he did an excellent job at describing the desolate, hot, and dusty amber look of Los Angeles.

The book is incredibly sad though. Although it is fiction, it is loosely based off of real experiences. Anyone who has suffered drug addiction would relate to this story deeply. Everything from the mania, to the feinding, to the mobbing, to the depressing over usage in one single persons apartment every time. It is so realistic, but adds a level of mystery as well.

It’s a fucked up, drug-driven, cat and mouse game of who-done-it… but instead of murder it’s trying to figure out who smeared shit on ur car engine? Who destroyed your weird visual comtraption? Who was I yesterday? And who am I today?

Last thing I’ll say, I cried heavily at the end and remembered all my loved ones lost to abuse. There’s a list of all his loved ones at the end, and I added my own. Very cathartic, but incredibly depressing.

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happyharlequin319's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

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

5.0

I can understand why this book could be triggering to some people, but as a person who’s also struggled with addiction, I really resonated with the way that PKD portrayed what it’s like. It’s completely brutal and honest about both the ups and the downs of addiction and the ultimate cost for so many. While I didn’t necessarily agree with every single point that PKD tried to make, I could understand where he was coming from, which made this book really thought-provoking for me. Overall, I would recommend this book for anyone interested in a dark read set in a not too distant future (which is actually the past at this point). I’m a little torn on recommending this book for people who are/have been addicts in general. Just please be aware of where you’re at in life and know that this book could potentially be really triggering if you’re still struggling. That being said, it really helped me understand more about what I went through and helped me feel not so alone. So take with that what you will.

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kayrae_42's review against another edition

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This book is good, but it triggers things for me. I couldn't finish it because of it.

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ford_defect's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

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tomasalbanez's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-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

3.5

Esse livro é uma loucura. Uma crítica à guerra às drogas do ponto de vista dos anos 60/70.
Do mesmo jeito que o Kafka te faz sentir a morosidade e o tédio mortal em "O Processo", Philip K. Dick te faz sentir a perda da sanidade pela escrita desnorteada e serpenteante enquanto você acompanha o personagem principal em sua espiral rumo à insanidade. Quase não terminei o livro por causa disso e porque todas as mulheres são tratadas como um par de seios ambulantes (a única com mais personalidade é o cúmulo da Manic Pixie Dream Girl).
Isso tudo se torna retroativamente muito mais interessante quando você lê a nota do autor e as entrevistas no final do livro que falam sobre a experiência dele com as drogas e suas pesquisas na psiquiatria, além de definir essa obra como "Um romance que trata de algumas pessoas que foram punidas demais pelo que fizeram", não vendo pessoas viciadas como vítimas da guerra contra as drogas, mas como "crianças que queriam se divertir, brincando na rua e testemunharam as crianças ao seu redor sendo mortas, mas ainda assim continuaram brincando".
Não esperem um final feliz.

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_fallinglight_'s review against another edition

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challenging dark 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? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I'm giving it 3 stars instead of 2 bc the last four chapters of this book were so depressing and kinda made up for having to read all the frustrating psychotic paranoid addict ramblings these mfs kept having. Reading this book could either make you wanna do drugs to stick it to PKD for his dismal, yet from the heart, writing here or it could drive you insane so much that you'd want to sober up so as to never have to think like Bob Arctor and co. again. The sexism in this book is oppressive lmao I usually don't focus on Men Writing Women™ stuff when reading male authors bc I think most times they're unintentionally stupid or they're funny or I just don't expect anything from men, really, but holy shit, this book was SOAKED in creepy, ridiculously sexist appraisals and descriptions. It was inescapable, eww. The only characters I felt something towards to were Jerry Fabin and Charles Freck but the MC and everything else was a slog (and I'm most likely too stupid to get it too so there's that). I've described some weird books before as the closest I'll ever get to experiencing drugs but this book literally is drugs lol unfortunately it was a bad trip for me, ha. But yeah, don't do drugs, kiddos. Or else you'll end up writing dreadful books like this one.

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