Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

The September House by Carissa Orlando

46 reviews

bookwyrm_kate's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense 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

4.0

I loved that I thought I had things figured out, initially was shown to be correct, then everything was subverted and went batty. A lot of fun, and watch out for a LOT of body horror.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Child death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Murder, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, and Death

Moderate: Cursing, Dementia, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Gaslighting and Mental illness

jamieleepilk's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Gore, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, and Violence

rnr516's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Gore, Murder, Toxic relationship, and Blood

gidgetdraws's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense fast-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Death, Alcoholism, Body horror, Addiction, Alcohol, Blood, Cursing, Murder, Child abuse, Child death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Gore

Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Mental illness, Vomit, Toxic relationship, and Violence

jesssicawho's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Emotional abuse, Gore, Violence, Alcoholism, Death, Murder, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, Vomit, and Domestic abuse

bambooboy's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful lighthearted sad tense fast-paced

• 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

It can be hard to write an allegory for domestic violence without coming off insensitive or ham-fisted. In The September House, Orlando manages to gracefully use the metaphor of a haunted house beautifully. This book was darkly funny, with engaging characters that keep you wanting more of them after you put the book down.

I was concerned that she was going to go the coward's route and have the protagonist institutionalized after being characterized as crazy, but luckily she does not!

There is real growth among the characters and you find yourself rooting for them, even those that you might be surprised by. The descriptions are artistically disgusting, and the detached nature of the protagonist's voice is startlingly realistic. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, Alcohol, Physical abuse, Body horror, Death of parent, Grief, Kidnapping, Confinement, Death, Murder, Suicide attempt, Torture, Toxic relationship, Animal death, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Child abuse, Violence, Vomit, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Suicide, Cannibalism, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Cursing, and Bullying

Minor: Stalking, Self harm, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Detailed description of content warnings below

--Father is an alcoholic, who becomes sober and then relapses
--Father is emotionally and physically abusive to mother; attempts to be abusive to daughter so mother removes her from home
--Multiple child murders, graphic descriptions of torture and murder
--Gaslighting protagonist as to existence of ghosts
--Many graphic descriptions of bodies being twisted and deformed, tortured
--Protagonist is abused emotionally and physically for many years and the ways she copes are covered
--Multiple people commit suicide in the house, deaths described
--Multiple descriptions of vomit, especially vomiting flies
--One character is murdered in a fireplace, attempts made to burn entire house down
--Daughter attempts to institutionalize mother