Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

The Rabbit Hutch, by Tess Gunty

9 reviews

jabakken's review against another edition

dark reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Adult/minor relationship, and Animal cruelty

Moderate: Blood, Death of parent, Drug use, Grief, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Abandonment, and Alcohol

mirandaandtitania's review against another edition

dark reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The writing in this was stunning!! I felt like underlining every sentence but I managed to restrain myself. The disjointed narrative did hinder my enjoyment as I found myself just wanting to know what was occurring in C4 but there was good payoff at the end. The last chapter was lovely.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Bullying

Minor: Drug use, Alcohol, and Self harm

mgraceoliver's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Minor: Drug use, Animal cruelty, Violence, and Sexual content

emmas_bookshelf's review against another edition

challenging tense medium-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

4.0

I found this novel super interesting and thought provoking. The author experimented a lot with form and for me, in some places it worked and in some places it didn’t… I think I would have liked more consistency but I can appreciate what she tried to do. I wouldn’t recommend this if you don’t like lit fic (literary fiction), but it does get at a lot of important topics in our society.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Alcohol, Child abuse, Classism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Blood, Death of parent, and Drug use

heatherjchin's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Cursing, Bullying, Injury/injury detail, Violence, Addiction, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Sexual assault, Mental illness, Abandonment, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Adult/minor relationship, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Animal death, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Drug use

deedireads's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

• 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

4.5

All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking.com/reads/.

TL;DR REVIEW:

The Rabbit Hutch is a visceral, engaging novel with especially good prose. I definitely liked it and thought it was an impressive debut.

For you if: You like literary fiction with a dark tone.

FULL REVIEW:

The Rabbit Hutch is an impressive debut novel that was shortlisted for the National Book Award for Fiction. (It may win; as of the time of this writing, the award hasn’t been announced yet.) It was one of the few books on this year’s longlist that had previously been on my radar, so I was glad for a (good) reason to pick it up. It’s dark, visceral, and at times disturbing, but I thought quite good.

The main character in this book is a former foster child named Blandine who lives with three boys (also former foster children) and idolizes Hildegard of Bingen. However, we also meet (briefly) several of the other tenants who live in The Rabbit Hutch (a low-income housing complex), as well as the son of a recently deceased famous actress. The book opens mid-act of violence and flashes back to the few days leading up to the pivotal moment, plus Blandine’s time in high school.

Some reviewers disliked the use of periphery characters in this book, wanting either more from them or wishing they’d been removed, but I actually really liked it and thought it worked. In many ways they felt atmospheric to me, and I liked the way Gunty used them in the first and last sections to emphasize Blandine’s state at the time. I know some also thought the ending was too tidy, and although it didn’t surprise me, I actually also liked that and thought it was satisfying. Overall I was impressed with how deep we got into Blandine’s mind and character, with just enough touches of how the outside world is complicit in the systems and circumstances that led to not only the violence, but also the ways she responded and coped and changed.

Where Gunty stands out most is in her prose; the sentences are excellent and I found the book overall to be super engaging (I read the whole thing in just a couple of days). It does work quite well on audiobook, but FYI, there are some in-book illustrations you’ll miss if you only experience it in that format.

If you like literary fiction with a dark tone, this could be a good one for you.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, and Animal cruelty

Moderate: Drug use and Alcoholism

Minor: Rape

mmcloe's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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

5.0

Absolutely spellbinding - a standout work of the century without a doubt.

Leaves me thinking about the different ways we're tied to one another. How the physical and the social and the digital and the spiritual and the ecological all messily collide, exploding and leaving shards who knows what in their wake. A novel for American absurdity and late capitalism in the beige nooks of burnt out industry.

Gunty references (and is blurbed by!) Raven Leilani. Excited to visit Luster later! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Rape, Animal death, and Violence

Moderate: Drug use

mrslsmith's review against another edition

challenging dark funny mysterious sad tense slow-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, and Drug use

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death of parent, Cancer, Child abuse, Sexual content, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Pregnancy, Rape, Self harm, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

katiewhocanread's review against another edition

dark reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Animal cruelty, and Adult/minor relationship

Moderate: Physical abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Sexual assault and Rape