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Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Blood, Kidnapping, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, Excrement, Kidnapping, Lesbophobia, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Torture, Death of parent, Outing, Sexual harassment
Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Now, onto the contents of this book. I can see why people call this book "gross". It does explore some intense kinks (biting, blood, guns) with minors, but I thought it was done in a good way when they were CONSENSUAL! Reading about minors doing some of these things did gross me out, but I also have to remember that this stuff in real life already. That was another this that made me enjoy this book. The things that happened in this book have happened and will happen in real life. It makes it much more harder to swallow. Looking at the relationships between the girls reminded me of my relationships with friends growing up (though, not as intense). Having a friendship with a group like this, where two are deemed the "leaders" and one an "outcast" really describes adolescent female friendships well in my experience. Growing up with one person all your life makes the two of you merge together in a way you wouldn't have thought possible before.
The descent into psychosis felt real to me, even though I have never experienced it. The repetitive movements, the noticing small details, and the panic that is ever encompassing a person made ME feel like I was in her shoes. I could hold empathy for her because of what had happened to her and how she "learned" to deal with it.
The dealing of the religious trauma was probably my favorite part. Denying your sexuality, forming something you can actually believe in, questioning everything you've learned about the religion you were raised as. It definitely sheds light on how religion can fuck someone up.
The imagery from this book was wonderfully grotesque. It was a book I didn't want to put down; not necessarily because it was so good, but because I wanted the answers hidden in the pages. And I still don't feel satisfied with what I got
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Confinement, Cursing, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Incest, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Murder, Lesbophobia, Outing, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Classism
Minor: Toxic relationship, Violence, Toxic friendship
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical trauma, Stalking, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Eating disorder, Excrement
Rated it 4 only bc the sexual aspect of the horror was sometimes a bit much (and with that in mind--tw for anyone for whom that may be an issue, including tw for sexual assault described rather graphically if not explicitly).
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Incest, Sexual assault, Murder
Minor: Rape, Excrement, Vomit
This unsettling novel is about motherhood, daughterhood, girlhood, and feminine power. Ojeda crafts beautifully eerie sentences that are evocative to the point of being cinematic. The coven-like group of girls at the story's center is so deliciously unhinged in a way that only teenage girls can be. Their desire for agency and power is the driving factor in the disturbing choices that they make under Annelise's leadership.
All in all, Jawbone is quite the fever dream. I loved Ojeda's evocative style and discussions of female power & relationships. Ultimately, though, the inconsistent timeline interrupted the flow of this story for me. I don't always feel that books need linear timelines but, in this case, I think that Jawbone would have benefited greatly from that feature.
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Violence, Blood, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Fatphobia, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexual content
Minor: Vomit, Stalking, Sexual harassment, Classism
Graphic: Body horror, Incest, Mental illness, Blood, Kidnapping
Moderate: Gore, Incest, Mental illness, Self harm, Blood, Vomit, Abortion, Lesbophobia, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail