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shaleen64's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
3.5
This book has some beautiful prose and the overall theme of grieving someone who is still physically present is well explored.
However, a lot of plot lines are left open and unexplored, this is not done in a thought provoking way rather just makes the story feel unfinished and therefore less enjoyable.
I can understand why some people really love this book, but it isn’t one I’d widely recommend.
However, a lot of plot lines are left open and unexplored, this is not done in a thought provoking way rather just makes the story feel unfinished and therefore less enjoyable.
I can understand why some people really love this book, but it isn’t one I’d widely recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Body horror, Suicide, and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual content and Lesbophobia
vixenreader's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
More of a book to be felt than rationalized, it is a devastating example of what it means to grieve someone who is physically present, but not the same as before, and how trauma can affect a relationship for the worst.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Grief, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Self harm, Suicide, Terminal illness, Blood, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cursing, Violence, Lesbophobia, and Alcohol
Be aware that there is body mutations, isolation, aquatic horror, loneliness, struggling with a relationship, struggling with trauma, descent into madness, and harming your body in unusual ways.fionamclary's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Amidst the obvious horror of an unknown ocean that won't let you go and Coming Back Wrong flows an undercurrent of the hopeless horror of being unable to effectively communicate -- the terrible understanding that whoever is on the other end won't or can't cooperate, no matter how important the conversation may be. And deeper below that, the helpless horror of the fragility of living tissue in the face of everything: illness, water, pressure, time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement and Grief
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Blood, and Death of parent
Minor: Violence, Vomit, and Lesbophobia
agarocks's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, and Death of parent
rora114's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
So very well written. Hauntingly told story that never fully tips over into horror but makes you wonder if it will.
Not for those who have fears related to water or body horror.
Not for those who have fears related to water or body horror.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, and Blood
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Suicide
fronk10's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
The only reason this has two stars is because the book finally got going in the last section. Otherwise this was ultimately very boring with next to no Cthulhu.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Blood, Grief, and Death of parent
artemis7's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Grief, and Death of parent
melusinedln's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- 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
2.75
I really wanted to love this book but it just left me confused. I liked the themes, the deep sea setting, the writing style… but it felt like the author wanted to create too much metaphors and parallels and ended up letting them surface level, which is ironic given the theme of the book. Also, nothing happens during most of the book so it’s a bit hard to link with the characters, so the end has little impact.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: Sexual content
liesthemoontells's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This was a strange, haunting, and melodic book. The book jumps chronologically and thematically between three plots: the shocking circumstances of the protagonists' present once Leah returns from her mysterious trip, told through her wife Miri's eyes; the story of Leah's horrendous, suspended state of limbo in a submarine with no power at the bottom of the ocean; and the beautifully mundane progression of their love story and lives together Before.
The balance between these three plots is excellent, giving each storyline the space to breathe and unfurl, although the ending felt a little bit rushed.
The prose is the strongest feature of this book. The ordinary moments of the character's lives are enchanting and ephemeral, and the horror feels magnified and immediate. At times I did need to treat the central plot as allegorical rather than centred in realism to excuse the more inexplicable actions of the characters, but even withstanding this, the overall beauty and grief of their love story shines through.
The balance between these three plots is excellent, giving each storyline the space to breathe and unfurl, although the ending felt a little bit rushed.
The prose is the strongest feature of this book. The ordinary moments of the character's lives are enchanting and ephemeral, and the horror feels magnified and immediate. At times I did need to treat the central plot as allegorical rather than centred in realism to excuse the more inexplicable actions of the characters, but even withstanding this, the overall beauty and grief of their love story shines through.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Chronic illness, Confinement, Gore, Homophobia, Terminal illness, Medical content, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
crybabybea's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This was a really beautiful, atmospheric read that explored themes of grief, love, and loss. It's categorized as horror because there are some supernatural elements as well as some truly creepy scenes (especially for us with thalassophobia) but I would say it leans more literary than true heart-pumping horror, if that matters to you. Definitely strong gothic vibes.
I loved the moments of queer love; the safe space of meeting with other queer people, the uncomfortable boundaries queer couples have to draw in public to keep themselves safe, the way queer relationships cause rifts in families, the way queer people come together in community in times of hardship. It was bittersweet and a bit of a melancholic perspective that I felt worked well.
The best part of this book though is definitely the exploration of grief and of love found and lost. I found it incredibly moving, especially Miri's perspective as she struggles with learning to love Leah again after she comes back changed and broken. There were some incredibly poignant scenes where Miri's inner monologue goes through memories of "my Leah", the Leah she fell in love with and the desperation to have just one sliver of that joy again was heartbreaking. I think it would be relatable to anyone who has had relationship troubles of any kind, not even specifically loss via death or disappearance. I have never experienced a heavy loss, and still found parts of Miri and Leah's relationship relatable and poignant. For me, I think this speaks to the author's ability to write about grief wholly and fully -- not just the grief of loss but the bittersweet grief of human connection, change, and memory.
The usage of the ocean as a metaphor for grief was genius and really made everything hit harder for me. I loved that the book was split up into parts named after the different sections of the sea as the grief got deeper and eventually turned into acceptance. Really impressive and I think the author pulled it off so well.
I loved the moments of queer love; the safe space of meeting with other queer people, the uncomfortable boundaries queer couples have to draw in public to keep themselves safe, the way queer relationships cause rifts in families, the way queer people come together in community in times of hardship. It was bittersweet and a bit of a melancholic perspective that I felt worked well.
The best part of this book though is definitely the exploration of grief and of love found and lost. I found it incredibly moving, especially Miri's perspective as she struggles with learning to love Leah again after she comes back changed and broken. There were some incredibly poignant scenes where Miri's inner monologue goes through memories of "my Leah", the Leah she fell in love with and the desperation to have just one sliver of that joy again was heartbreaking. I think it would be relatable to anyone who has had relationship troubles of any kind, not even specifically loss via death or disappearance. I have never experienced a heavy loss, and still found parts of Miri and Leah's relationship relatable and poignant. For me, I think this speaks to the author's ability to write about grief wholly and fully -- not just the grief of loss but the bittersweet grief of human connection, change, and memory.
The usage of the ocean as a metaphor for grief was genius and really made everything hit harder for me. I loved that the book was split up into parts named after the different sections of the sea as the grief got deeper and eventually turned into acceptance. Really impressive and I think the author pulled it off so well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Cancer, Confinement, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis