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qi_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
i appreciate how well plotted the story line seemed to be. everything made sense together and donald ray pollock didn't feel the need to throw out a random, nonsensical twist in the name of shock value. although the means that i had a pretty strong hunch about where the story would be going it still was able to shock me due to the writing and how he depicts such scenes.
the writing was gritty and blunt which i love. some of these scenes are written in such a matter-of-fact way which just leaves you feeling like you like D:
the characters were well written and felt very dynamic. even "bad" characters *cough cough arvin* i still felt like rooting for and you are just left with mixed emotions.
part five was definitely the part where i had the biggest emotional reactions to the text, i am reluctant to say my favourite part because yikes. if you are looking for some small town, gritty horror i would highly recommend but dO LOOK UP TRIGGER WARNINGS!
as you can tell by this spotty review i don't know how to formulate my thoughts properly. so, great way to nurse the morning after my second dose of the vaccine.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Body horror, Murder, Pedophilia, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death of parent, Fatphobia, and Gaslighting
Minor: Ableism, Homophobia, and Racial slurs
atalea's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Graphic: Sexism, Sexual content, Cursing, and Body horror
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Suicide, Infidelity, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Bullying
zacharie's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
As a person who is usually drawn to loveable and relatable characters, it was interesting to find myself invested in a cast of characters I absolutely despise. Normally a story with unlikeable characters like this would make me want to stop reading and pick up something else, but for this book it was the complete opposite. This amplified the experience in a way, because after having followed this group of repulsive characters, the ending felt rewarding in a way I haven’t really experienced before in a mix of relief and satisfaction.
I don’t think I’ll ever be able recommend this book to anyone with the heaping amount of content warnings, but I’m glad I got myself through this unsettling experience. I’ll probably be coming back to it during future spooky seasons too.
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Death of parent, Gun violence, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Suicide
Minor: Homophobia
chandle5's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Murder, Pedophilia, Suicide, Torture, and Violence
bookswithjk's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Murder, Sexual content, Suicide, and Violence
petit_lecteur's review
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Blood, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Murder, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Suicide, Violence, and Toxic relationship
lolzzloz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicide, and Violence
cmarks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Murder, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Death of parent, Gun violence, and Pedophilia
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Blood, Chronic illness, and Pregnancy
Minor: Vomit
sphealrical's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Homophobia, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racism, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Vomit
Minor: Abortion and Transphobia
kylajaynebooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Violence, and Vomit