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cernst09's review
challenging
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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Grief, and Confinement
anawest's review
5.0
This was not a perfect book, but it had a perfect beginning and a perfect ending, and also most of it felt like someone was taking a meat cleaver to my insides and then laying them out on a table in a pretty table arrangement. Which is my ideal reading experience. Anyway, loved loved loved this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Child death, and Grief
Moderate: Medical trauma and Domestic abuse
Minor: Rape, Animal death, and Suicidal thoughts
kaitlizcolby's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault and Child death
natalee_martino's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death
Moderate: Gore
serendipitysbooks's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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
4.0
Poor Deer is the story of Margaret Murray who, at the age of 4, played a role in the death of her neighbourhood playmate. Her mother never permitted her to speak of it again. Now, more than a decade later Poor Deer (a manifestation of her shame) is forcing her to confront her grief and guilt, reckon with her conscience and memory and admit the truth of what happened that day. A clever concept that was executed well, although it does require an attentive reader. It’s an excellent example of why leaving children to process trauma alone is a bad idea. There’s also a sapphic storyline in the background which really tugged at my heartstrings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death
carolinamoon's review
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Unforgettable and unique.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death
angel_hardy's review
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Death, Pedophilia, Murder, Mental illness, Self harm, Grief, and Child death
emelynreads's review
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
I wanted to enjoy this but I could not get invested in the story. I found it to be so uneventful at times that this book put me to sleep twice. I did enjoy 'Poor Deer' and the unreliable narrator. It has all the trappings of making for a good book but I think the pacing for me was incredibly slow. I'm so sad not to have enjoyed it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Self harm
readingpicnic's review
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
Interesting to see an unreliable narrator being held accountable for lying or misremembering the story. This was a very sad story filled with guilt and grief over the accidental death of a child when the two girls were four years old, which she never forgave herself for, so it was a little difficult to get through. The writing was very good though: "After they climbed out, clean again, her mother sprinkled talcum powder on the girl's body with such rich abundance that she felt like a special dessert."
It was sad how doomed all the sapphic longings felt in this book, especially between Florence and Ruby, who were especially devastating in their inability to put a concrete name to their queer longing. The imagery of Florence unfolding and refolding her letter from Ruby for years made me physically ill. The story was a little disorienting at times when I would learn that a whole passage I had read never actually happened and was just imagined by Margaret. I would say that this book could fit into the weird girlhood genre.
It was sad how doomed all the sapphic longings felt in this book, especially between Florence and Ruby, who were especially devastating in their inability to put a concrete name to their queer longing. The imagery of Florence unfolding and refolding her letter from Ruby for years made me physically ill. The story was a little disorienting at times when I would learn that a whole passage I had read never actually happened and was just imagined by Margaret. I would say that this book could fit into the weird girlhood genre.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Emotional abuse, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Death, and Fire/Fire injury
fionnanilsson's review against another edition
3.75
Wish I hadn’t read this directly after Ordinary Human Failings. The tw was too similar and it was like I didn’t have any more space for it.
Loved Sophie Amoss as always- she lends a perfect unhinged element to her characters and it really worked here.
Loved Sophie Amoss as always- she lends a perfect unhinged element to her characters and it really worked here.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death