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lindas_reads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-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
5.0
My biggest mistake was putting off reading this book because all of the mixed reviews. Shout out to ___for putting this book back on my radar!
I don't want to say too much about this book. I think just going into this book complete blind is the best way to fully experience this book. First off, I cant just broadly recommend this book, I would encourage you to find a sample of this book and then see if this book is your cup of tea.i I would call this a book more of a literary mystery that will work for a certain audience and I am that audience! This book ticked off a lot of boxes for me and it scared me in a very unique way. The small draw back was I figured out the twist, but... reading how this author unfolds that twist was truly masterful.
Simply put, this book earned his rank as a new favorite book of mine. The writing was just (sigh) so masterful. Ian Reid writes in a way that captivates you, makes you ponder and just leaves you with such an intense feeling of melancholy and foreboding. I also want to say this book was not written for the masses as a lot of other books are. I respect that he wrote this and left everything as is. This book is clever, unique, fresh and unparalleled from other books I have read. In fact, I want to re-read this book and catch all the nuances I missed. This book resonated with me and left me in awe. Some people are going to love or hate this one. I'm just happy I loved it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Gore
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide
Minor: Animal cruelty
froge's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Mental illness, and Death
Moderate: Body horror and Animal death
rebelstorm's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
4,3/5
Quality of writing: 5
Plot development: 4
Pace: 4
Characters: 4
Enjoyability: 4
Ease of reading: 5
Quality of writing: 5
Plot development: 4
Pace: 4
Characters: 4
Enjoyability: 4
Ease of reading: 5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
leejahjaja's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- 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 straight up thought i was so Smart like ten times throughout the Book. I genuinely thought I had it all figured out. Safe to say I didn’t know what the fuck was happening
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
Minor: Body horror
ishasbooks's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- 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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Grief, and Mental illness
catolaeclectica's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
4.0
ESP
Excelente thriller. Si te gustó la película te recomiendo leer este libro ya que resuelve muchas cuestiones que quedan inconclusas o a libre interpretación (al menos eso creo). Tiene una trama atrapante y cuenta con excepcionales personajes que dedican gran parte de la obra a deliberar sobre temáticas filosóficas. Creo que si se presta atención a todos los detalles entrelíneas, pueden encontrarse muchas explicaciones metafóricas sobre el significado “real” del libro.
ENG
Excellent thriller. If you liked the movie I would highly recommend this book to you, i believe it’s more straightforward and less trippy. It’s plot is very engaging from the get go and all of the characters are extraordinary. I feel like, if you pay attention to all of the small details here and there, you’ll be able to stumble upon thousands of metaphorical explanations for the ending of the book (or at least for wtf it all meant). Beware, there’s a lot of philosophical talk.
⚠️ Spoilers ahead ⚠️
Algunos de mis extractos favoritos / some of my favorite extracts:
“‘There’s something about modernity and what we value now. Our shift in morality. Is there a general lack of compassion? Of interest in others? In connections? It’s all related. How are we supposed to achieve a feeling of significance and purpose without feeling a link to something bigger than our own lives? The more I think about it, the more it seems happiness and fulfillment rely on the presence of others, even just one other. The same way sadness requires happiness, and vice versa. Alone is . . .’”
....
“What’s unrealistic, I think, is the number of people who attempt an enduring, committed relationship, who believe it will work long-term. (...) Even considering the data that shows the majority of marriages don’t last, people still think marriage is the normal human state. Most people want to get married. Is there anything else that people do in such huge numbers, with such a terrible success rate?”
…
“I think what I want is for someone to know me. Really know me. Know me better than anyone else and maybe even me. Isn’t that why we commit to another? It’s not for sex. If it were for sex, we wouldn’t marry one person. We’d just keep finding new partners. We commit for many reasons, I know, but the more I think about it, the more I think long-term relationships are for getting to know someone. I want someone to know me, really know me, almost like that person could get into my head. What would that feel like? To have access, to know what it’s like in someone else’s head. To rely on someone else, have him rely on you. That’s not a biological connection like the one between parents and children. This kind of relationship would be chosen. It would be something cooler, harder to achieve than one built on biology and shared genetics.”
Excelente thriller. Si te gustó la película te recomiendo leer este libro ya que resuelve muchas cuestiones que quedan inconclusas o a libre interpretación (al menos eso creo). Tiene una trama atrapante y cuenta con excepcionales personajes que dedican gran parte de la obra a deliberar sobre temáticas filosóficas. Creo que si se presta atención a todos los detalles entrelíneas, pueden encontrarse muchas explicaciones metafóricas sobre el significado “real” del libro.
ENG
Excellent thriller. If you liked the movie I would highly recommend this book to you, i believe it’s more straightforward and less trippy. It’s plot is very engaging from the get go and all of the characters are extraordinary. I feel like, if you pay attention to all of the small details here and there, you’ll be able to stumble upon thousands of metaphorical explanations for the ending of the book (or at least for wtf it all meant). Beware, there’s a lot of philosophical talk.
⚠️ Spoilers ahead ⚠️
Algunos de mis extractos favoritos / some of my favorite extracts:
“‘There’s something about modernity and what we value now. Our shift in morality. Is there a general lack of compassion? Of interest in others? In connections? It’s all related. How are we supposed to achieve a feeling of significance and purpose without feeling a link to something bigger than our own lives? The more I think about it, the more it seems happiness and fulfillment rely on the presence of others, even just one other. The same way sadness requires happiness, and vice versa. Alone is . . .’”
....
“What’s unrealistic, I think, is the number of people who attempt an enduring, committed relationship, who believe it will work long-term. (...) Even considering the data that shows the majority of marriages don’t last, people still think marriage is the normal human state. Most people want to get married. Is there anything else that people do in such huge numbers, with such a terrible success rate?”
…
“I think what I want is for someone to know me. Really know me. Know me better than anyone else and maybe even me. Isn’t that why we commit to another? It’s not for sex. If it were for sex, we wouldn’t marry one person. We’d just keep finding new partners. We commit for many reasons, I know, but the more I think about it, the more I think long-term relationships are for getting to know someone. I want someone to know me, really know me, almost like that person could get into my head. What would that feel like? To have access, to know what it’s like in someone else’s head. To rely on someone else, have him rely on you. That’s not a biological connection like the one between parents and children. This kind of relationship would be chosen. It would be something cooler, harder to achieve than one built on biology and shared genetics.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Blood, and Animal death
alylentz's review
dark
tense
fast-paced
- 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: Mental illness
Moderate: Blood, Body horror, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
luckydragonnerd's review
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
this is an objectively good book, but i guess i just wasn't in the right mood. m expectations were also pretty high so that probably had a part in me not liking it as much.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Gore, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Cursing, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Bullying
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