Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Anthem by Noah Hawley

15 reviews

ambergrewal's review

dark reflective medium-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Rape, Suicide, Sexual violence, Racism, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Eating disorder, and Mass/school shootings

amywoolsey_93's review

dark funny tense fast-paced

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

4.25

A scream into the void in novel form. I imagine some people might be turned off by the amount of explaining and editorializing, not to mention the premise involving mass suicide, but I found Anthem weirdly comforting. It's the first fictional work I've encountered that treats the COVID-19 pandemic not as just a weird event but a catastrophe that permanently changed the world. The reality it presents, full of teenage avengers, evil billionaires, and apocalyptic violence, feels truer than the fantasy of normalcy peddled by politicians and the news, where society in its current form is not only logical but desirable and a stable, prosperous future is not only possible but inevitable because the story America (humanity?) tells itself is one with a happy ending. What's more absurd than insisting that an absurd thing is not absurd? Anyway, LOL.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Violence, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Medical content, Eating disorder, and Pedophilia

Minor: Confinement, Mass/school shootings, Self harm, and Vomit

ashleyreadsandruns's review

challenging dark emotional funny tense fast-paced

5.0

This book SHOOK me! I was riveted from the beginning to the end, and I was frustrated every time I had to put the book down! I cringed throughout as the author made such incisive points about American society, and I was in awe at the breadth of the topics that he was able incorporate in this novel.
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Anthem by Noah Hawley is a dystopian look at post-pandemic America set just a couple years in the future. It explores the mental health of teenagers and how they have been impacted by all the decisions of adults. It also has a commentary throughout around the climate crisis and what we have done to our Earth.
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I highly recommend this to anyone ready to take on a very dark commentary about America. The book is full of triggers, though, so please tread carefully if that is of concern!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Mental illness, Rape, and Racism

Moderate: Animal death, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Sexual violence, and Gun violence

jennsbookshelves's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Antisemitism, Child death, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Torture, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Violence, and War

ashleysbookthoughts's review

dark tense fast-paced

2.5

I loved Hawley’s book, Before the Fall. So when I saw that he had a new novel coming out that was kind of a dystopian critique of America, I was excited. The jacket description of this book is bananas, but it begins as a compelling, insightful critique of America and how divided we’ve become. 

But then it devolves into a bit of a mess. I think I get what Hawley was trying to do. He’s attempting to satirize the current state of America. But I think his point and his narrative get bogged down by the fact that he’s trying to do too much. There’s no issue that isn’t included. We get everything: the political divide, climate change, opioid epidemic, social media, COVID, the Me Too movement, Q-Anon, gun violence, the war in Afghanistan, and more. There’s even a Jeffrey Epstein type character. 

To his credit, Hawley acknowledges within the text that the world he created is “ridiculous,” but his points still come across as heavy-handed. It isn’t helped by the dialogue, which is often clunky. There are too many metaphors; people don’t talk like this. 

Somewhere in here, though, is a good story. I was invested throughout and anxious to see where it was going. Unfortunately, the problem, to quote from the book: “Simon sighs. It’s all so vague.”

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Murder, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Trafficking, Violence, and War

Moderate: Antisemitism, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Mass/school shootings, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, and Sexual assault