Reviews with content warning for Incest - A Girl Is a Half-Formed Thing

Errr ok so if you like books that contain at least one character that feels happiness for at least one moment in their life, probably not the book for you. If you like complete sentences and fully formed thoughts, also not for you. To be fair though, I like both those things but I definitely appreciated the merit of this book. It's a short read, but a tough one. It's unlike anything else I've read, told from the first person in a full stream of consciousness detailing family tragedy, sexual depravity and the environment of shame from which it all sprung. My Irish friend read this and said it reignited her hatred for the church. Maybe that says enough? This was a really epic undertaking to write, I can imagine, and kudos to Eimear McBride for doing it. Just maybe don't choose it as your summer beach read.

Content Warnings

slimyweed's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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alisonkolonick's review

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challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-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

1.0

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theartoflanguage's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.5

Formally inventive and also one of the most emotionally brutal books I've read ever. That's a good thing, but makes for a challenging read. The shattered syntax is an effective illustration of the inexpressible trauma that underpins our narrator's every move. Just as she is half-formed, so the prose reflects and expresses her barely formed thoughts in start stop rhythm. Absolutely brilliant!

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kthnlb's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated

Content Warnings

harleyburch's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional tense 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? Yes

4.0

How would they ever understand my life is more than cider? Complex than that. Fuller deeper richer. Irritation that. Something. Not as good as me in the back of my head.

When I read that this was an experimental novel, I didn't expect it to be quite so jarring. At first, I saw this as a negative; I felt as if the style was drawing me away from the characters rather than into their lives. It wasn't until the end of the novel that the grammar-less stream-of-consciousness style started to speak to me. It was this disjointed use of the language that put me at such unease. Strikingly, this book is bleak - very bleak. Our nameless narrator is subjected to terrible events that become relentless as she slowly but surely tugs us into her head. I had no idea how a book written like this without much plot could end but the ending - while still very bleak - was impressive and memorable. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone (definitely pay attention to the content warnings) but it was a challenged yet insightful experience.

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soph1768's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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