You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I got this in the Abominable Book Club "3 From Hell" Bundle, amazing deal!
A very quick read that I didn´t want to put down.
I expected a retelling of Labyrinth (minus David Bowie) but this was so much more and it did get rid of the creepy age gap problem.
If I had been a teenager reading this it would have been... life. This book tackles hard hitting themes like suicidal ideation, religious trauma, the feeling of (not) belonging, parents, and having children (to keep it spoiler free) in the most political and moral sense in a way that feels very soft and gentle with the protagonist....Stuff that almost every teenager probaly can relate to.
Beautifully written without being purple. I liked it very much.
Could have been a little more scary/gruesome/horror-y for me and I, not gonna lie, am a bit disappointed this book doesn´t feature any muppets (I very often am).
Let all the teenagers read this and feel seen and get angry.
A very quick read that I didn´t want to put down.
I expected a retelling of Labyrinth (minus David Bowie) but this was so much more and it did get rid of the creepy age gap problem.
If I had been a teenager reading this it would have been... life. This book tackles hard hitting themes like suicidal ideation, religious trauma, the feeling of (not) belonging, parents, and having children (to keep it spoiler free) in the most political and moral sense in a way that feels very soft and gentle with the protagonist....Stuff that almost every teenager probaly can relate to.
Beautifully written without being purple. I liked it very much.
Could have been a little more scary/gruesome/horror-y for me and I, not gonna lie, am a bit disappointed this book doesn´t feature any muppets (I very often am).
Let all the teenagers read this and feel seen and get angry.
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I knew this would be a 5-star book as soon as I started reading, but I hadn't expected how amazing it would turn out.
This review includes spoilers I can't block without making it unreadable.
It's also a very personal review, so it has more feelings than anything else.
"My Throat an Open Grave" is in the horror genre, but on top of the dark theme, I would put it in a magic-realism category with how closely it reflects the modern world issues.
"My Throat an Open Grave" is, in my opinion, an emotion-based book. The story, characters and the whole idea behind it are based on emotion, and the author did a great job of focusing on it in a way that wasn't overbearing. It was quite the opposite, it was refreshing and reflective. I could easily put myself in the main character's shoes, and the 1st person narrative definitely helped with that.
As someone who struggled with depression, the description of it, without naming it point blank, and the suicide ideation made me reflect on that time in my life. It was sort of a reminder of that time and how much has changed. I liked how accurate it was, how obvious.
It's not fully obvious, at least not until the end, how much of a main point the depression was in this story, how it is stigmatised, called being lazy, ungrateful without focusing on the cause of it, without trying to understand and help.
All the characters were lovable, surrounded by mystery and secrets that I didn't necessarily want to discover. Thanks to amazing writing, the secret all characters had made them complete, instead of lacking. Tristan's change between Lord of Wood and Tristan, seemingly with to logic or reason, reminded me of how much our perception of ourself have an effect of others. How easy it is to change and influence.
I loved the storyline as well, of course. Maria's ghost, Leo's inauguration and Ruth's garden. How everything had a place and reason to be there. How it blended with the emotional side of the book.
Main spoiler!
For some reason, I didn't expect Owen to be Leah's son. It was a shock, and the way it was introduced and explained brought tears to my eyes. The anger, shame, disappointment. How all trust was broken, used against Leah, turning her into something else. Something broken and wrong and how the idea of it was forced on her. How the religion, the stigma, and rules taught since a young age
didn't allow her to be a person. How she was forced and moulded to be a woman instead of a human.
Two fragments stuck with me the longest.
Page 117: I don't really hate that he's here. (...) I never had a feeling I would sacrifice everything in the world for him even as the world told me I should. It was quite the opposite: that everyone was willing to sacrifice me.
Page 220: There's a whole thing we've been taught about not seeking validation from a man, not letting someone tell us something about ourselves. But man have been telling me things all my life-that if I don't keep my legs closed, I'm going to end up desecrated; that I'm a slut, w whore, a broken thing.
And how the consequences didn't affect the father, how he wasn't frowned upon, how he could just go back to his regular life. How all the blame fell on Leah.
I didn't grow up very religious, despite going to church every Sunday, being active in church activities and having extremely religious grandparents. But I still remember the teachings of the priest, how all those things Leah was taught, I was taught as well from a very young age. How I could have been her if I wasn't lucky to break from it.
The fact that "Lord of Wood" was used by man to get rid of the unwanted babies if they were a "complication". How they would rather kill the mothers instead of facing any consequences because it was easier for them made my heart break because it's not fiction. It's real life. The only difference is that there is no Lord of Wood here; all the monsters are man.
Personally, I believe every woman, and every man, should read "My Throat An Open Grave". It has an amazing storytelling that uses world issues, violence and oppression against women in a way that's interesting to read but is also easy to understand.
This review includes spoilers I can't block without making it unreadable.
It's also a very personal review, so it has more feelings than anything else.
"My Throat an Open Grave" is in the horror genre, but on top of the dark theme, I would put it in a magic-realism category with how closely it reflects the modern world issues.
"My Throat an Open Grave" is, in my opinion, an emotion-based book. The story, characters and the whole idea behind it are based on emotion, and the author did a great job of focusing on it in a way that wasn't overbearing. It was quite the opposite, it was refreshing and reflective. I could easily put myself in the main character's shoes, and the 1st person narrative definitely helped with that.
As someone who struggled with depression, the description of it, without naming it point blank, and the suicide ideation made me reflect on that time in my life. It was sort of a reminder of that time and how much has changed. I liked how accurate it was, how obvious.
It's not fully obvious, at least not until the end, how much of a main point the depression was in this story, how it is stigmatised, called being lazy, ungrateful without focusing on the cause of it, without trying to understand and help.
All the characters were lovable, surrounded by mystery and secrets that I didn't necessarily want to discover. Thanks to amazing writing, the secret all characters had made them complete, instead of lacking. Tristan's change between Lord of Wood and Tristan, seemingly with to logic or reason, reminded me of how much our perception of ourself have an effect of others. How easy it is to change and influence.
I loved the storyline as well, of course. Maria's ghost, Leo's inauguration and Ruth's garden. How everything had a place and reason to be there. How it blended with the emotional side of the book.
Main spoiler!
For some reason, I didn't expect Owen to be Leah's son. It was a shock, and the way it was introduced and explained brought tears to my eyes. The anger, shame, disappointment. How all trust was broken, used against Leah, turning her into something else. Something broken and wrong and how the idea of it was forced on her. How the religion, the stigma, and rules taught since a young age
didn't allow her to be a person. How she was forced and moulded to be a woman instead of a human.
Two fragments stuck with me the longest.
Page 117: I don't really hate that he's here. (...) I never had a feeling I would sacrifice everything in the world for him even as the world told me I should. It was quite the opposite: that everyone was willing to sacrifice me.
Page 220: There's a whole thing we've been taught about not seeking validation from a man, not letting someone tell us something about ourselves. But man have been telling me things all my life-that if I don't keep my legs closed, I'm going to end up desecrated; that I'm a slut, w whore, a broken thing.
And how the consequences didn't affect the father, how he wasn't frowned upon, how he could just go back to his regular life. How all the blame fell on Leah.
I didn't grow up very religious, despite going to church every Sunday, being active in church activities and having extremely religious grandparents. But I still remember the teachings of the priest, how all those things Leah was taught, I was taught as well from a very young age. How I could have been her if I wasn't lucky to break from it.
The fact that "Lord of Wood" was used by man to get rid of the unwanted babies if they were a "complication". How they would rather kill the mothers instead of facing any consequences because it was easier for them made my heart break because it's not fiction. It's real life. The only difference is that there is no Lord of Wood here; all the monsters are man.
Personally, I believe every woman, and every man, should read "My Throat An Open Grave". It has an amazing storytelling that uses world issues, violence and oppression against women in a way that's interesting to read but is also easy to understand.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
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:
Complicated
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal death, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Blood, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment