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ashortbooklover's review against another edition
4.0
TW: chronic illness, surgery, homophobia, bullying
Gut Feelings cut deep. This was such a powerful, eye-opening read that felt so poignant and beautiful.
This is a deeply personal story and it’s incredibly brave of Chris to be sharing such intimate details of his life, but I truly feel like this is a book that could change people’s lives. It examines living with a chronic illness and hidden disabilities through searing language that you can’t help but deeply emotionally connect with. I’ve spoken before about the innate emotional power that exists within poetry for me and Chris perfectly utilises the sparsity of the language here for maximum effect. Each word is obviously carefully considered and chosen. There’s also no room for sugarcoating or dishonesty, instead we are presented with the raw truth. In this way, I think it reflects the experiences of so many incredibly well.
There’s a plethora of conflicting emotions presented within the book, each of which I felt distinctly and I found myself connecting to Chris’ voice deeply. Some aspects of the story really hit home from familial experiences and this kind of representation is sorely needed. Invisible or hidden disabilities need to be spoken about more and we need to erase the notion of assuming that we need to always see someone’s disability in order for it to be considered real. No disability is more important than another and in particular the poem about using a disabled bathroom in public is exceptional.
It’s not an exaggeration to say that I absolutely flew through this in the space of an evening, unable to tear myself away from the stunning yet devastating writing. Chris is definitely an author to watch and now I feel like I need to read everything he’s written.
Gut Feelings is a heart-wrenching, no holds barred discussion of living with a chronic illness, yet it also showcases the importance of family and the reclamation of your own narrative.
Gut Feelings cut deep. This was such a powerful, eye-opening read that felt so poignant and beautiful.
This is a deeply personal story and it’s incredibly brave of Chris to be sharing such intimate details of his life, but I truly feel like this is a book that could change people’s lives. It examines living with a chronic illness and hidden disabilities through searing language that you can’t help but deeply emotionally connect with. I’ve spoken before about the innate emotional power that exists within poetry for me and Chris perfectly utilises the sparsity of the language here for maximum effect. Each word is obviously carefully considered and chosen. There’s also no room for sugarcoating or dishonesty, instead we are presented with the raw truth. In this way, I think it reflects the experiences of so many incredibly well.
There’s a plethora of conflicting emotions presented within the book, each of which I felt distinctly and I found myself connecting to Chris’ voice deeply. Some aspects of the story really hit home from familial experiences and this kind of representation is sorely needed. Invisible or hidden disabilities need to be spoken about more and we need to erase the notion of assuming that we need to always see someone’s disability in order for it to be considered real. No disability is more important than another and in particular the poem about using a disabled bathroom in public is exceptional.
It’s not an exaggeration to say that I absolutely flew through this in the space of an evening, unable to tear myself away from the stunning yet devastating writing. Chris is definitely an author to watch and now I feel like I need to read everything he’s written.
Gut Feelings is a heart-wrenching, no holds barred discussion of living with a chronic illness, yet it also showcases the importance of family and the reclamation of your own narrative.
eleana_reads01's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Medical content, Medical trauma, Homophobia, and Bullying
tbhonest_uk's review
5.0
Gut Feelings is a powerful and personal story, that is well told and instantly pulls you in, It educates you too. Fantastic read!
amysbookishlife's review
4.0
I received this book free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
I discovered C.G. Moore last year when I had a chance to read his debut novel, Fall Out, which I loved. So, when I found out about his latest release, Gut Feelings I knew automatically that I had to read it. I was intrigued as to how this book was going to differ from his debut, especially as it was written in verse and had the topic of chronic illness.
Gut Feelings follows Chris as he battles with his chronic illness – Familial adenomatous polyposis – An inherited disorder characterised by the rapid growth of small, pre-cancerous polyps in the large intestines. Written in verse, we follow Chris through diagnosis, surgery and recovery. Ultimately, we see Chris’s journey through his eyes and how that’s changed him.
Well, this was such a beautiful, poignant, powerful read that had me in awe. It felt so personal like I was there with Chris on his life-changing journey. I was so moved throughout the book that at times I felt tears starting to fall. You do get deep into the gritty side of living with a chronic illness, and as someone who doesn’t live with one, I felt like I was learning as I went along with the book. To discover the stigma that people living with chronic and invisible illnesses face did open my eyes, and it did get me thinking as to how much these people go through both physically and mentally. You also get an idea of how illnesses not only affect the person with them, but their families too, and this was evident throughout Gut Feelings. I felt for not only Chris but his mum, dad, aunt and other family and friends that we are introduced too. Also, one final thing, I found it interesting to see how Chris’s illness affected his relationships as a gay man. It’s not something I would have thought about before reading Gut Feelings, so my eyes were also opened to this and I found myself gaining knowledge as well.
Novels written in verse are becoming one of my favourite ways to tell a story, and with Gut Feelings, this was no different! The writing was stunning and pulled on my heartstrings several times. Each poem brought a different edge to the story and each one wasn’t out of place. The way the story was set into three parts also stood out to me, as we got to go deep into the diagnosis, treatment and aftermath, all important things when you have an illness. Each part was so intricate and detailed and you got to learn a lot about Chris’s condition on a personal basis.
Gut Feelings was a distinctive, gorgeous, emotive read that affected me in more ways than one. I am in awe at how entranced I was by the beautiful storytelling and heart-rendering poetry. C.G. Moore is certainly an author to look out for, and I am excited to read what he releases next.
I discovered C.G. Moore last year when I had a chance to read his debut novel, Fall Out, which I loved. So, when I found out about his latest release, Gut Feelings I knew automatically that I had to read it. I was intrigued as to how this book was going to differ from his debut, especially as it was written in verse and had the topic of chronic illness.
Gut Feelings follows Chris as he battles with his chronic illness – Familial adenomatous polyposis – An inherited disorder characterised by the rapid growth of small, pre-cancerous polyps in the large intestines. Written in verse, we follow Chris through diagnosis, surgery and recovery. Ultimately, we see Chris’s journey through his eyes and how that’s changed him.
Well, this was such a beautiful, poignant, powerful read that had me in awe. It felt so personal like I was there with Chris on his life-changing journey. I was so moved throughout the book that at times I felt tears starting to fall. You do get deep into the gritty side of living with a chronic illness, and as someone who doesn’t live with one, I felt like I was learning as I went along with the book. To discover the stigma that people living with chronic and invisible illnesses face did open my eyes, and it did get me thinking as to how much these people go through both physically and mentally. You also get an idea of how illnesses not only affect the person with them, but their families too, and this was evident throughout Gut Feelings. I felt for not only Chris but his mum, dad, aunt and other family and friends that we are introduced too. Also, one final thing, I found it interesting to see how Chris’s illness affected his relationships as a gay man. It’s not something I would have thought about before reading Gut Feelings, so my eyes were also opened to this and I found myself gaining knowledge as well.
Novels written in verse are becoming one of my favourite ways to tell a story, and with Gut Feelings, this was no different! The writing was stunning and pulled on my heartstrings several times. Each poem brought a different edge to the story and each one wasn’t out of place. The way the story was set into three parts also stood out to me, as we got to go deep into the diagnosis, treatment and aftermath, all important things when you have an illness. Each part was so intricate and detailed and you got to learn a lot about Chris’s condition on a personal basis.
Gut Feelings was a distinctive, gorgeous, emotive read that affected me in more ways than one. I am in awe at how entranced I was by the beautiful storytelling and heart-rendering poetry. C.G. Moore is certainly an author to look out for, and I am excited to read what he releases next.
lenabrary's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
mtwilsonwrites's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
Gut Feelings is an own voices novel in verse based on the author’s own experiences of living with Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). FAP is an inherited disorder characterised by the rapid growth of small, pre-cancerous polyps in the large intestines.
I found reading this novel incredibly moving and cathartic as I recognised some of my own experiences of chronic illness reflected in the pages. Similarly to the narrator of the novel, Chris, I was diagnosed as chronically ill at a young age, when I was ten years old. There are so many parts of this book I could quote, but I chose just a few to include in this review that really resonated with me.
“This room is no place
For a child
That wants to run and swim,
Bike his way
To the top of the hill.
I listen and obey
As curtains close
Around me –
Around my future.”
While the condition I have – Crohn’s disease – is a different condition to FAP, there is some overlap in symptoms and treatments as both affect the intestines. I could relate to the blood tests, the colonoscopies, the hospital visits, the surgery, the anxiety around having to rush to the toilet, of praying to make it through an exam, and issues of body image and scars. I could relate to the confusion and the fear of being faced with a diagnosis at such a young age.
“It could be a funeral home,
This hospital,
From the outside –
All drab colours and no imagination.
We pass through automatic doors,
Greeted by cartoon knock-offs
Stencilled across damaged,
Death-infused walls.
Dog-eared games and dishevelled toys
Piled up high in a cardboard box.”
This book spans a long period of time, from diagnoses aged 11 through to university. The part which I found most moving was when Chris was first diagnosed and navigating this new reality through the eyes of a child. There were always toys in the children’s department and cartoons on the walls when I went for hospital appointments. The brightness of it felt like a horrible contrast to the place we were actually in. I never played with any of those toys, always just sat quietly in an uncomfortable waiting room chair, partly because I was shy, but also because in some ways it felt like those brightly coloured toys were mocking me, and they haunt me still. A lot of my own memories are quite blurred, but reading Chris’s story was like walking through those memories again. I was quite genuinely brought to tears.
“You can paint these walls
In rainbow colours bright and bold,
Plaster the walls
With princes and princesses
But we all know
There is no gold
Waiting at the end.”
The depictions of the hospital visits were so visceral, I was taken back to my own experiences in hospital. It was both relieving to see my experiences depicted on the page, but also pulled me back to some traumatic memories. Reading this book was an emotional experience which, while at times painful, was also freeing.
While I could relate to a lot of Chris’s experiences, I also took away some new insight. Chris has a stoma and ileostomy bag for part of the story. I nearly had to have one of these following my own surgery when I was 13, but in the end, it wasn’t necessary for me. While I’m aware of ileostomy bags and have seen them discussed on Crohn’s forums, seeing what it’s actually like to have one through the eyes of the narrator gave me a deeper insight into it. Gut Feelings also explores how Chris’s illness impacts his experiences and relationships as a gay man, which is not something I had really been aware of before.
“I’m nervous.
It’s a standard procedure
To reverse the ileostomy but
Clinical smells,
Beeping monitors,
Blue scrubs,
Bring back memories
I want to forget.”
Telling this story through verse was an excellent decision as the poetic form really lent itself to the shattering experiences portrayed in the novel. C. G. Moore utilises the structure of the verse to further increase the impact of the words, and the brilliant illustrations by Becky Chilcott added another layer, enhancing the words and immersing me in the story.
“Keeping my eyes open
During lectures:
A momentous effort.
Standing on the bus:
Everything spins.
Twelve-hour sleeps:
Still exhausted.”
Gut Feelings is a raw, powerful and emotive depiction of chronic illness that I felt a deep connection to. Reading this book emphasised to me how little representation there is of chronic illness in fiction and media. I hope chronically ill readers will feel a kinship to this book as I did. And I hope those who haven’t had these experiences will learn something about chronic illness when they read this book – not just the facts, but the feelings and the emotions, the ups and the downs, and the pain and the hope that comes with living with chronic conditions.
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