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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
challenging
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Incest, Rape, Sexual violence, Pregnancy, Abandonment
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Religious bigotry
Minor: Child death, Suicide, Abortion
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Breathtaking. Godshot stands out for the strangeness of its plot and beauty of its prose. I will be thinking about the town of Peaches and Lacey May Herd for a very, very long time. What begins as your typical religious cult—complete with ridiculous, charismatic leader and awe-struck followers—quickly becomes dark and desperate as the people of Peaches clamor for water. Every aspect, no matter how f’ed up, is well thought out and carried through. Strong themes of togetherness through womanhood and motherhood. I cannot recommend this enough (but please be wary of the trigger warnings).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Incest, Rape, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Abandonment
Moderate: Gun violence, Suicide, Suicide attempt
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Incest, Rape, Pregnancy
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wow, just wow. "Godshot" is a dark gem of a novel. It offers what only the best novels can, a deep connection to the life of a complex protagonist, a true heroine here, who shares her truest emotions and hardships with the reader. The novel offers a disturbing depiction of religious fanaticism and how it brainwashes its believers who have to endure physical and emotional abuse. The reader really suffers with Lacey and her struggle of being torn between the religious and "ordinary" world of a teenager. In her complex novel Chelsea Bieker (critically) addresses so many important topics such as toxic masculinity, (toxic) family dynamics, mother-daughter relationships, feminism, gender, motherhood etc. in such an interesting way. Highly recommended literary fiction! Read it! I'm very glad that I can explore more of Chelsea Bieker's fiction in her story collection "Heartbroke".
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
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:
Yes
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Propulsive. All the trigger warnings. It hits a certain way when you know about the places like Peaches, when you're familiar with the California valley and droughts. Seems heavily influenced by the YFZ cult.