Reviews with content warning for Vomit - Death of a Bookseller

Reviews tagging 'Vomit'

Death of a Bookseller by Alice Slater

28 reviews

withlivjones's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.75

A skin-crawling, chilling book about obsession. We follow our two main characters, booksellers Laura and Roach, navigate the autumn-winter months in a struggling bookstore, as Roach’s interest in true crime causes her to be drawn to Laura with an intensity that will doom them both.

Most of this book is very slow-paced, while Slater takes the time to explore both Roach’s and Laura’s characters in great detail. Both characters are deeply flawed in different ways, and I really enjoyed reading about them in a “I don’t like what’s going on and I’m low-key disgusted but I can’t look away” way. There were definitely some parts that dragged, and some that felt a bit repetitive, but the plot really picks up in the last third or so as Roach’s obsession with Laura causes both characters’ mental states to spiral rapidly, and from then I could not put it down! And the ending made my stomach DROP.

I also really enjoyed reading about the ins and outs of bookselling in this book - the stuff that goes on behind the scenes in a bookshop is really interesting to me, and it seems that Slater knows her stuff.

Content Warnings

sarahsbookss's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-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

Content Warnings

linguaphile412's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Content Warnings

norwegianforestreader's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Content Warnings

minimicropup's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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

5.0

Main POVs 👌: Dual perspectives with subtle changes to the first-person narrative (deep in their mind type)

A bookseller in their 20s. They are struggling to cope with a family member’s death being in the annals of true crime. They are popular and outgoing but also judgmental, obsessive, and resentful. They cope through social drinking and writing poetry about victims of crime.
A bookseller in their 20s. They are socially obtuse and feeling unheard, unloved, and unseen. They are optimistic and forgiving, but also judgmental, obsessive, and resentful. They cope with their situation by immersing themselves in true crime and all things morbid and macabre.

Atmosphere 👌: Immersive, grim, and intense

Set in a bookstore, and pubs and flats of Walthamstow (London), UK
Contains some festive Christmas season/party vibes for the seasonal reader 🧑‍🎄

Cred Rating: Realistic

Relatable portrayals of how we see (and judge) others based on appearance, hygiene, lifestyle, interests, and sociability (and how sometimes those judgements aren’t wrong!) with realistic consequences of those beliefs and actions.

Growls, Howls, and Tail Wags 🐺🐕:

Excellent commentary on true crime consumption. It’s subtle but direct. We aren’t forced to take a side or declare one outlook correct above all others, but it made me think about who has the “right” to talk about true crime and share those stories.
This is a character-driven story that centers on two MCs who are very different, yet very similar in how they view people that fall outside of their “circles”. Both assume they are in the right, and as the reader we have moments where we empathize with or are horrified (even disgusted) by the MCs. Since the narrators are both relatable and unlikeable, you don’t need to “like” one or “hate” the other to stay engaged with the story. That said, if you aren’t a fan of character-driven stories this may be too slow or difficult to get through.
Mild cliffhanger ending. It didn’t break the story or frustrate me – it just made me wish there were more pages after the end!

Reading Journey ☺️: Curled up in a comfy reading nook, lost-in-another-world time-warp.

Mood Reading Match-Up:

Character studies of adults in their 20s still figuring out who they are and who they want to be
Thought-provoking commentary on true crime using symbolism, irony, and realistic consequences and reactions
Retail literary/contemporary drama with touches of unrequited love (and unrequited like), shame spirals, and finding your people
Creepy, discomforting suspense with “stuck together”, “did they or didn’t they?”, “stalker/obsession” tropes

Vibes: 🫢😧🤗

Content Heads-Up: Binge-drinking and self-medicating with alcohol. Death of a parent. Stalking and obsession.

Format: Library Digital via Libby

This was one of my Favourite Books of 2023 😍

Content Warnings

kirstym25's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Content Warnings

itsalina's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Content Warnings

what_heather_loves's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

"As I smoked, a project of my own unfolded. No more poetry, no more plagiarism. I did have a story to tell, a story that would bring Laura and I together irreversibly, in a way that she could never reject or reclaim or control, our names forever linked in black ink."

Set in London in 2018 there two protagonists and perspectives: likeable, 'cool' Laura Bunting and her poetry and dislikeable and morbid 'outsider' Brogan Roach and her true crime obsession). Working together in Spines bookshop in Walthamstow, London, the reader gets to know them, their clashes and their bookseller colleagues. Both women are keeping secrets about who they really are, but Roach (and her pet turtle, Bleep) can be delusional and has an obsessive personality, turning her attention from true crime to Laura. At first Roach wants to befriend Laura and then emulate, stalk and undermine her using the alternative identity of 'Brodie', created for her equally dark new boyfriend, Sam. Roach becomes fixated on Laura's mother having been murdered ten years ago, by 'the Stow Stalker'. Laura weakens and diminishes as a result of alcohol, anxiety and paranoia and Roach is uplifted and becomes more powerful and hungry for connection with Laura and the Stow Strangler.

The combination of true crime and booksellers enticed me to request this debut novel. It's very dark in places, particularly Roach's aptronym name, demonstrated by the mould, dirt and snail and slug infestation of Laura's flat; whilst Laura's surname is also an aptronym, she can be dark top, grieving the loss of her mum, pining for ex-lover and colleague Eli and drinking to forget. The reality of the bookseller elements have not no doubt influenced by the author's experience of working in bookshops, they certainly felt real. If you like crime fiction or true crime and books about booksellers, this will be right up your street.

Content Warnings

More...