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carlottalw'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? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Animal death, Self harm, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, and Death of parent
cmlalonde'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
3.5
I probably didn't enjoy it as much either because I was overthinking the big climactic story point. My guesses weren't even close.
I did enjoy the characters though, especially their awkward interactions with each other. It does make conversations seen more real when people don't always say the right thing or there's miscommunications.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death of parent, and Child death
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Mental illness
cadams93's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Animal death
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Grief, and Death of parent
sara_n's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? No
2.75
Graphic: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Suicide attempt, Death, Domestic abuse, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, and Child abuse
Moderate: Child death, Car accident, Vomit, Bullying, Excrement, Injury/Injury detail, and Terminal illness
archaicrobin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The story is told backwards, starting at the end and making its way back to the beginning. Told from Benjamin’s perspective, the middle brother or three, you see glimpses of a dysfunctional, and at times abusive family, as they try to bond and enjoy themselves at their summer lake house in the Swedish wilderness.
Schulman does an excellent job of capturing that temperamental bond between siblings where you feel like you have a constant companion that you sometimes love fiercely but also sometimes hate with the same tenacity. While tragic, I could not put this down and finished it quickly in two days.
Warnings: animal cruelty, animal death, parent deaths.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Grief, Physical abuse, Addiction, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, and Suicide attempt
_inge_'s review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
3.5
This book has an interesting structure. It tells the story of an event that happened when the narrator was young. There are two time lines: the present is told by going back in time in steps of a couple of hours. On this day, three brothers reunite to scatter their mother's ashes in a place where they used to go on holiday - and where something happened that made them all survivors.
The storyline in the past is not as structured, there are loose memories and they slowly work up to something that happened and its aftermath. In the present time line, some things are revealed.
While reading the book, I had the feeling it was working towards some sad event involving the father for some reason, but that was not it. There really was no way to know what the ending would be - but in hindsight it gives a lot more depth to the book. This is one of those books that will probably reveal a bunch of clues when it is read again, knowing what was going on. The story structure makes the story more compelling than if it had been told chronologically - even with dual timelines. That was an excellent choice by the author.
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death of parent, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Child death
ellaada'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
1.5
Graphic: Alcohol and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Cancer, Death of parent, and Domestic abuse