Reviews tagging 'Toxic friendship'

Bluebeard's Castle by Anna Biller

1 review

katietregs's review

dark funny mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

• 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

4.25

I still hope this becomes a movie! I picked this up because I absolutely adore the Love Witch, and I think if you like Anna Biller’s movies, then you’ll enjoy this book. She does a masterful job of translating the language of movies into her writing, and I think the tongue in cheek nature of the Love Witch is ever present in Bluebeards’s castle. It’s dark and disturbing, but the melodrama elevates it to something more enjoyable than a story of a smart woman falling victim to an abusive man. It’s equal parts poignant and parody. 

That said, I did find that it started to drag a bit at the 3/4s mark.

In hindsight, I appreciate how the writing became more frantic and train-of-thought as Judith started spiraling. But while I was reading I found myself getting a little bored by the page after page of circular thinking. I think some people might dislike the very straightforward description of Gavin’s crimes at the end, as it left little room for interpretation, but I think it was important that reader’s were invited to look at their own potentially problematic interpretations of the story. 

Overall, I’m very impressed by Biller’s writing. This book felt really fresh and different to me, and I’m glad I picked it up.  Like the Love Witch, this isn’t for everybody, but it’s worth your time if you like romance books and golden-age thrillers, but tire of the problematic tropes. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Violence, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Rape

Moderate: Blood, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Classism, Confinement, Death of parent, and Infidelity

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Toxic friendship, Panic attacks/disorders, and Vomit

This book is meant to paint a sympathetic picture of how women become trapped in abusive relationships.