Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

Devil House by John Darnielle

26 reviews

kthealey's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Child death, Violence, Blood, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Gore, Emotional abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, and Grief

Moderate: Drug abuse

Minor: Sexism, Vomit, and Xenophobia

rystonlentil43's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I started reading in digital format and I'd already passed the section in the different font before switching to the paperback, but it does look like it would've been pretty hard to make out in that font. That aside, its presence exemplifies what I love about this book (and is crucial to the themes!). There's such a variety of textures working together to build strong, interesting ideas. (I see from the other reviews that this was misleadingly marketed as horror, like Universal Harvester... I wish that would stop happening. It's sad that people are disappointed by these great books because they were expecting something different.)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Gore

Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, and Child abuse

alicroz34's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

4.0

Favourite line: Jesse has a fear of consequences whose constant presence at the periphery of his consciousness is a sort of tribute to his father. 

Well written! The first half or so really had me. Definitely not what I expected despite being warned it's not a horror book - but it's also not really a crime novel either in a way. It more... explores what crime media is without delivering on the crime aspect. The fourth time we were suddenly in the perspective of a peripheral character, later & later in the book, I really became impatient waiting for the answers that never caaaaame. This is the second book in the last year that has some almost fourth-wall-breaking commentary from the author on their own work. In the last few pages of the book, we read his account of a true crime novel that is not routed in fact, that has no momentum, and leaves the reader feeling unsatisfied. So, I know he knows he made that. But I still feel that way.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Murder, Emotional abuse, Violence, Death, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Vomit

Moderate: Child abuse

jessiejonesbentley's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Not horror but not bad. Decent writing. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Blood, Child abuse, Sexual content, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Violence

yrioona's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-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

3.75

Weighed down a bit by metanarrative, deliberate repetition, and high concept touches (really could've done without the barely-relevant medieval interlude in fake gothic font), and treading some overly familiar ground as far as JD's themes and settings, but still really compelling and complex. It has a skillfully done puzzle-box/labyrinth structure that leads you through without spelling things out too much, teasing a straightforward narrative about troubled teens resorting to violence, but then gradually zooming out to reveal  
a kind of class-conscious existential horror story about what happens when you apply compassion and imagination to the true crime genre. I picked this up because I'm a mountain goats fan and WIWV was pretty ok, but this is a huge step up from WIWV and it made me look forward to what's next. Pretty incredible what this guy can do! Wish he would write some more interesting women characters.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Classism, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Blood, Murder, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Addiction, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Injury/Injury detail

jo_schmo's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Violence

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, and Grief

Minor: Forced institutionalization

heebymeg's review against another edition

emotional mysterious medium-paced

4.0

I think this book will not be good if you go into it with preconceived ideas of what it is about and what should happen in it. It’s not a horror novel, true crime, or murder mystery. It’s a commentary and you have to be paying attention to that string of thought throughout the whole thing, without getting distracted or tempted by the other trails. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Child abuse

br00k3a133n's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious slow-paced

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

3.5

Oh gosh. So I loved the format of this and the twists and turns it took, especially in the end....but the sections with the "olde English" writing was hard for me. On one hand to parse and on the other to physically read. The whole section (that as far as I can tell was an insert to contextualize some of the themes) "Song of Gorbonian", was printed in a near incomprehensible font. I basically ended up having to just skip it and hope for the best.

I want to love this more, but the detrators really were too strong.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, and Murder

kleinekita's review against another edition

dark sad medium-paced

• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Honestly just left me really confused. There were parts I liked quite a bit and parts a had to push myself through. Overall I don't know what it all added up to.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Blood, Death, Gore, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Child abuse, Mental illness, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Alcoholism and Forced institutionalization

loveallthis's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Grief, Domestic abuse, Child death, Death, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Murder, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Alcoholism

Minor: Schizophrenia/Psychosis and Mass/school shootings