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princess_marie's review
- 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
3.25
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Suicide, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Suicide attempt, Violence, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Vomit, Blood, Death, Bullying, Grief, and Medical content
Minor: Alcohol, Fire/Fire injury, Animal cruelty, and Cancer
zarakoconnor's review against another edition
- 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
1.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Medical content, Medical trauma, Suicidal thoughts, Drug use, Pedophilia, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Vomit
Moderate: Forced institutionalization and Grief
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
paperkindle'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
3.0
TW: rape, sexual assault, suicide attempt, suicidal thoughts, suicide, cancer, grief, violence, pedophilia
Graphic: Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Incest, Suicidal thoughts, Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Child death, Drug use, Grief, Medical content, Physical abuse, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Rape and Vomit
rebsuz14's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
Graphic: Rape, Suicide, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Grief, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Adult/minor relationship, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, and Death
emmataylor173's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Pedophilia, Child abuse, Suicide, Sexual assault, Incest, and Grief
mydiverseshelf'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: Pedophilia, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Child abuse
Moderate: Grief and Vomit
Minor: Cursing
kmwllce'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
4.25
About 75% through this book, I was grasping for something to keep me reading (listening?) but I am really glad that I did because I think the book has been really thought provoking.
I’m a little disappointed in some of the reviews tbh, not only here but online elsewhere, and I feel like people are largely missing the point. Like all of them. Which gets in the way of valid criticism.
The book is written from Adrianne’s view. The disgusting comments she makes early on about Noah “just touching” the girls, how she continues to repeat that it is a non violent crime that won’t happen again, or when she is downplaying the girls’ experience and emphasizing Noah’s achievements, is NOT Lucinda Berry’s personal opinion on pedophiles. She is demonstrating the desperation of a mother trying to rationalize (you can’t) the child sexual assault. Her brain is trying to find someway to believe that the baby she held after she grew it cell, pushed him out of her, and raised him every day as a stay at home mom, is sexually assaulting children. It’s hard to read (more plug for the audiobook), but not an impossible reaction. It’s a grim but entertaining thought experiment (and more horrifying, actually happening throughout society).
AND she has a minor at home (I think Katie is seven, if I picked up on that right and Noah SA’d two six year olds) AND her husband has completely shut down and abandoned their first-born and partner who is obviously being tortured by the whole experience.
I personally did not see the plot twist that Lucas was narrating the earlier chapters coming and I thought this was a delightful additional piece to chew on. I love stories that you will read/watch (listen?) differently after knowing what happens and think about the significance of earlier moments in retrospect. I did see the plot twist of Adrianne helping Noah commit suicide but I thought it was a pretty somber but touching concept.
I totally subscribe to the theory (unfortunately) that Lucas might’ve been assaulting Katie throughout the novel in hindsight. It’s not certain but there are things that would need to be investigated IRL:
- his original offense was a familial crime
- Katie stopped wetting the bed at 4 yrs, started wetting the bed again when Noah and Adrianne moved out, and stopped when Adrianne moved back in
- Katie’s insistence on staying with Noah and Adrianne one night and her horrible diatribe about how she “doesn’t care if Noah touches her privates” and nonchalantness of such for her age
I don’t think Lucas demanded Katie stay with him away from Noah with the intention of assaulting her, but he talks about backsliding in Him (Now) and doesn’t specify how, so it’s possible he lost restraint later on. I think he truly was initially horrified that this type of situation was arising in their lives again and abandoned Noah in attempt for self-preservation.
I love that Adrianne is a tortured, unreliable narrator. Of course what she is saying is insane. She talks through the novel saying she hasn’t slept more than an hour or two a night for months-years, and the magnitude of what has gone on has broken her brain. Mercy-killing Noah is NOT the solution in any way and it’s wild that she got to that point. However, I can totally see how she would be driven to give up and agree with Noah’s hopeless 18-year old logic that this is never going to be a life that is purposeful or worth leading and should end his suffering now.
It is not written great, it’s written pretty well. Not a happy one, but I’ll be chewing on the thoughts of what I would do in Adrianne’s shoes for a couple of days for sure. She was the only one even remotely left in that boy’s corner from early on in the book (other than Katie, who is just as much a victim of everything by the end of the book.)
Graphic: Rape, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Medical content, Incest, Self harm, Child death, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Mental illness, Grief, and Adult/minor relationship
alexboutilierreed's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Wow. I was at 5 stars until the reveal about Lucas. Death to Lucas. Mom was also annoying.
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Child death, Drug abuse, Vomit, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Forced institutionalization, and Pedophilia
misslaurenreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Grief, Rape, Medical content, Hate crime, Child death, Sexual violence, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, and Vomit
trashgobby's review
- 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
3.25
Graphic: Grief, Gaslighting, Self harm, Suicide, Mental illness, Rape, Pedophilia, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicide attempt