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spaghettireads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
My most recent book club selection, which was totally outside of my reading comfort zone! This is a horror novel, and I usually describe myself as someone who is scared of everything. Definitely one of the reasons why I enjoy having other people select my books some of the time.
This novel is told from the perspective of Pepper, who has been admitted against his will to a psychiatric hospital. He soon finds out that there is a monster that lives in the hospital. The novel describes how Pepper and the people he meets inside the hospital deal with the devil.
There were some parts of the book that I really enjoyed. LaValle makes some great insights into society that really added to the book. Overall though I found the book too long, and the plot meandered a bit too much for me.
It was a great book club selection because there was so much to talk about with regard to the plot and the characters. I would also be interested in picking up something else by the author, because there were some parts of the writing that I thought were great!
This novel is told from the perspective of Pepper, who has been admitted against his will to a psychiatric hospital. He soon finds out that there is a monster that lives in the hospital. The novel describes how Pepper and the people he meets inside the hospital deal with the devil.
There were some parts of the book that I really enjoyed. LaValle makes some great insights into society that really added to the book. Overall though I found the book too long, and the plot meandered a bit too much for me.
It was a great book club selection because there was so much to talk about with regard to the plot and the characters. I would also be interested in picking up something else by the author, because there were some parts of the writing that I thought were great!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Mental illness, Racism, and Sexual content
jenny_d's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Confinement, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, Suicide, and Mental illness
nausicaa's review against another edition
funny
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Every time you think you know where this book is going, it takes a turn for the scary, or the sad, or the sexy. A deeply empathetic book that manages to tackle headfirst some of the hardest issues while remaining absolutely readable. I will say, don't read this if you want a horror book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Self harm
stayshomeandreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Confinement, Death, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Racism, and Violence
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