Reviews with content warning for Adult/minor relationship - Real Life

I’m not huge into literally fiction, but I do read a few of them and it’s typically a hit or miss for me. In this case, it’s more difficult to explain how I feel.

On one side, I felt the writing itself was done really well and if their writing was winning awards on creating a visceral and ‘real life’ response from you, then it definitely done it’s job.

On the other hand, this story didn’t really go anywhere in that there was no resolution and just was kinda faltering from one subject to another. Not all stories have to have a resolution, but usually even then there is a bit of a development in the story or character growth in at least one of the characters. In this story, I felt no one grew, only explored more of their pain in an unhealthy way or lost themselves more to it.

To me, this story showed us some very important, difficult, and painful topics that deserve to be shared... This I don’t disagree with and again, was done very well in expressing them, and at the same time they were shown and felt by us the readers, but never explored to show any way of challenging these topics…

No way of showing the reader any hope, any growth, or to show the that the narrative of Wallace’s life could improve or deviate from the snowball event it has been and seems to continue to be. Also the side white characters never growing either which is not on Wallace to fix, but them (myself included) to learn and do better.

I suppose for some, ‘real life’ really can be and is that painful and this story shows that, and I respect that. We all live life with our own array of pain and trauma and heartache and suffering and it’s difficult to compare or ever really understand, and this story shows one voice in one ‘real life’.

I think for me it was pretty painful to see Wallace continue to suffer and never get any real help, resolve, or real support, only more to add to his already painful list, including the other character’s lists as well.

Overall, this story left me feeling like I learned from his perspective as well as the others, but also left me a bit at odds with my feelings towards it as my personal view of life is quite an optimistic or hopeful one! This although is coming from my own personal perspective with heartaches and challenges as someone who is a woman and lgbt+, but also a cis, white, and lower middle class Midwestern.

I want to hope that his life does improve with the right people and support around him in time beyond this one weekend, and that that can be ‘real life’ as well.

3.75 / 5 Stars

Content Warnings

maggiekateb's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense

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

3.0

Content Warnings

raelin's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.25

Things I Loved

The lab setting and descriptions and inclusions of high science. I have never read a book that casually includes the graduate setting of a science lab and I loved that backdrop of order and focus admits the emotional chaos and intensity surrounding Wallace.
The sharing of a painful insight into what it is like to be the “other” in academia at a PWI.
The beautiful prose and achingly tragic descriptions.

Overall this was just a gut wrenching, rip your heart out and cry for Wallace. I was depressed and deeply sad the whole time reading it. It felt open and important to read, but painful.

Content Warnings

noahee's review against another edition

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challenging emotional sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
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

5.0

Content Warnings

shreyshrey's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.75

Nails a really specific feeling

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