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Graphic: Child death, Death, Death of parent
Moderate: Gore, Gun violence, Suicide, Violence, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Ableism, Child death, Confinement, Death, Sexism, Suicide, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Gun violence
Minor: Alcohol
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Suicide, Murder
Um, well. The author did know that, like, blind people... exist, right? I understand that adjusting to sudden total loss of sight en masse would present unique difficulties but there is no acknowledgement that anyone might have gone from before the event to after with no real change to their abilities, or that blind communities exist, etc. Wyndham seems to treat the blind (and women as well!) as incompetent without a guiding hand. Our main character Billy
I didn't find the political messaging in the novel very engaging. I think upheavals and apocalyptic settings can be an excellent way to shine a light on conventions and laws that aren't truly functioning for the benefit of society, or to create microcosms highlighting issues, but I found Billy's moral dilemmas to be pretty surface level. He never seemed to really question deeply, just make excuses for what he wanted to do anyway. Not unrealistic, again, but frustrating. And wow, it sure was a choice to
This was interesting in that it was an apocalypse via three vectors
Graphic: Ableism, Suicide, Violence, Murder
Moderate: Gun violence, Alcohol, Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Child death, Rape, Slavery
Had to wonder how the book would’ve addressed women unable to bear children and how close we’d get to being forced into being Marthas and aunts, à la The Handmaid’s Tale.
Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Slavery, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Child death, Gun violence, Suicide
Graphic: Ableism, Death, Suicide
Moderate: Child death, Physical abuse, Violence
Minor: Gun violence, Rape
For a book written in the 50s, Wyndham managed to nearly entirely avoid the obvious sexism of Heinlein’s work and the rampant sexism in Asimov’s work, proving that it wasn’t necessary to exclude and or objectify women to write a good book back then.
The story is dark and unnerving and highly introspective. It moves at a good pace, never slowing down for too long. The triffids themselves are an eerie and frightening addition to the story that’s not actually really about them.
I look forward to reading this again in another 20 years or so.
Moderate: Suicide, Violence
Minor: Gun violence, Murder
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Suicide
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Suicide, Suicide attempt
Moderate: Physical abuse, Violence
Minor: Child death, Gun violence, Medical content, Grief, Pregnancy, Alcohol