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librarianinacardigan'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? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Abandonment, Animal death, Bullying, Cursing, Death of parent, Grief, and Suicide
Minor: Animal cruelty, Alcohol, Blood, Drug use, and Fire/Fire injury
jordanleigh321'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
3.25
Graphic: Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Abandonment, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
molly_hn's review against another edition
5.0
This book is a complex portrayal of trauma, child sexual abuse, and it’s responses to it. We see how memory formation is so impacted and shaped by her abuser and how shame creeps into the scene of her own sexual identity, the subtlety of being told one is but a mirror to the other. It feels wrong to rate a book about such a controversial topic and an unflinchingly complicated depiction of grooming and coercion. Coercion is examined from the perspective of the subject of that treatment, a subject who cannot see herself so (‘There are things he needs to believe in order to live with himself, and it would be cruel for me to label these as lies’)… it feels wrong to rate a book about that so highly. It is controversial. It is triggering. It is really difficult to read. The words are unflinching but the read is a flinching one. While the story is not my own, Vanessa resonated with me and my experiences deeply. I could see elements of me in what was explored. And for that resonance alone, I think Russell deserves all the stars.
Projective identification is so stark within the dynamics and is captured at its very essence. The dependence feels heart wrenching. Our own guts twist and turn as we feel the stone of dread on behalf of Vanessa. I wanted to save her. And I realised that I have rarely held that desire for myself. Save myself.
There is a subtle depiction of transgenerational aspects of trauma and attachment style. We see how the pride in ‘knowing how to protect her, myself, everyone at once’ creates extreme vulnerability. What we prize as good principles to foster, can often be our downfall if held too rigidly. The interweaving of mum into the novel is just… it’s subtle, realistic, beautiful and unblaming. The novel does not hesitate to draw upon the treatment of trauma survivors more generally in our ‘informed’ society, where the responsibility to speak out is often too harshly placed at the feet of those who have endured. The morality tightrope of judgement in this arena is a fierce one and the absence of compassion, but the beginning of a bridge towards it, is captured by Russel. Words can be weapons and language so often, as observed by Vannessa in her reading of Titus Andronicus, can so often fail in the face of horror, violence and human-to-human harm, particularly when the harm is ‘hidden’ and internalised.
I am fearful that my own words here are not doing justice to the work that is this book. As I said, for the resonance in my personal psyche alone, Russell deserves all the stars.
Graphic: Child abuse, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Panic attacks/disorders, Abandonment, and Grief
irynna'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? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Adult/minor relationship, Rape, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Alcohol, Death, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Pedophilia, Abandonment, Cursing, Drug use, and Suicide
miyothecat's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Sexism, Rape, Sexual assault, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, Drug use, Child abuse, Gaslighting, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, and Suicide
kjm_x's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Rape, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Mental illness, Bullying, Drug abuse, and Drug use
twiggiii'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? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Rape, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Abandonment, Death, Alcohol, and Suicide
Minor: Death of parent and Cancer
mossybooks's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Adult/minor relationship, Rape, Gaslighting, Grief, Pedophilia, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Bullying, Cursing, Suicide, Self harm, Abandonment, and Addiction
leduyhxxng'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
4.0
in terms of storytelling, Kate Elizabeth Russell did it beautifully. the writing, however, needs a couple more rounds of editing, because i can see some details (i.e. the characters' movements) that could've been left out and it'd improve the pacing of the novel so much.
Graphic: Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Alcohol, Adult/minor relationship, Addiction, and Abandonment
Moderate: Sexual content
flowchelle'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
3.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Vomit