Reviews tagging 'Homophobia'

Waif by Samantha Kolesnik

11 reviews

poisoned_icecream's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Stalking, Homophobia, Gun violence, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Murder, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Religious bigotry and Rape

readingpicnic's review

dark tense fast-paced

3.0

The men in this book are AWFUL and reminded me so much of every terrible man I've ever known, but I guess that's the point. I thought this was a good portrayal of grappling with misogyny and overcoming internalized homophobia and comphet (at least my reading of it). I didn't love the timeskip towards the end because the book is already so short, so I was a little annoyed. I also feel like the main character wasn't very consistent with how she acts and thinks, such as when she was stalking a guy and said that it was her divine fate to be with him; that kind of brazen, delusional thinking isn't really present towards the end of the book. Overall, this was enjoyable and well written, so I'm excited to discuss it with my book club :)

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Rape, Lesbophobia, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Homophobia, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Death of parent

urlocalsleepparalysisdemon's review

dark fast-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

1.5

I hated this thing so much, it took me a month to cool off and gather my thoughts about it enough to write a review. 


Spoilers ahead, but I don't know if I need to tag certain parts as spoilers, so take that as you will. TLDR - I have found nothing redeemable about the experience of reading this schlock. There are elements of this novella which I find actively offensive and reductive of serious issues. I simply don't agree with some of the views presented, and I hate that these exact elements get praised in reviews. I will say my piece for, like, the 5 people who care. 


I don't know how to possibly explain why I think this story sucks in a coherent way, so here are random notes I made, in no particular order. Some of these are petty, some are serious, and no one cares, so here I go: 


1. This is not a "feminist" story. The main character(s) simply hate men, which is misandry, not feminism. Of course, there are specific reasons to hate the specific men in this story, but the overall view of the main character, which is not challenged in any way, is that men are just "bad" as a whole. There is no deeper thought about patriarchy and how men's and women's behaviours are shaped by it, but simply "men are the worst." 

The story doesn't even work as a "revenge porn" fantasy, as the entire plot about the abusive husband is messily dropped at some point in the story.

You can't girlboss your way into feminism, because you've been wronged by men,

so now it's fair game to be a stalker and murderer. Because that's what the main character is, and it's not cool, it's terrifying and she's wrong. Her actions are not justifiable, just because the shallow male characters are so hatable that it seems okay to kill them off.

Get a grip.  


2. The fetish film ring doesn't have a lot of significance in the story, there is no actual insight into its machinations, it's just a shallow plot device. The only reason it's used is because it allows for more "fucked up" or taboo backstories/plotlines, which is a poor reason to use such a setting in the first place.  


3. I don't buy the emotional connections between the characters. I think this is because things move very quickly, but I don't get why these characters even like each other. Another reason for this is also possibly the fact that the protagonist is shallow. I had hopes in the beginning that there would be some depth to her character and we'll get to explore her complicated feelings about her abusive relationship. But she turned out to be quite delusional and just as empty as the other characters. She's honestly quite annoying, and much more privileged than she believes, which makes the pity parties she throws herself really unbelievable sometimes. 

In the same line of thinking, her husband is ridiculous, I don't buy his motivations at all, and his actions are ludicrous. So are Ben's. Everybody in this story is a cardboard cutout that is driven around by the plot with little reason. 


4. I hate the way the main character thinks about men,

as she reads like she's bisexual, but also not really. She has had relationships with women and she has on many occasions hooked up with men. It's clear, however, that she has not enjoyed these occasions, and she seems to only sleep with men as some sort of self-punishment or out of a feeling of necessity to be with a man. 

On the other hand, she has sexual fantasies about men. Seemingly, her attraction only applies to these fantasy men, since real men can't live up to those ideals, because, remember - men are bad (apparently). This makes for a shitty representation of bisexuality and it would have been just as poor if she was just lesbian.  

There is a real phenomenon of bisexual women feeling conflicted about their attraction to men and women. Regardless of whether the attraction skews towards women, or towards men (which for the record, doesn't matter, this sort of thing isn't quantifiable), there is the sense that relationships with women are more equal, more romantic, bordering on spiritually transcendental experiences, while those with men are burdened by power dynamics, toxicity and abuse. It gets summed up with "I love women and I tolerate my unfortunate attraction towards men."

I hate this line of thinking because it comes directly from patriarchal ideologies. There is so much wrong with the way men are viewed and treated in our society, and it's incredibly reductive to just wallow in self-pity, label men as the Big Bad, and call it a day. I simply do not have the expertise, the words, the time, and the resources (and also no one cares) to unravel the issues here.


All in all, I think this whole story is unnecessary. It has poor character writing and weak storytelling, and the novella has little to say about any of the issues it brings up

(domestic abuse, child abuse, violence, sexism, forced prostitution, and so much more).

As I said in the beginning, it's schlock, and I do not give it any points as "horror," because horror as a genre is very much capable of being a brilliant vehicle for thoughtful exploration of serious topics, without being cheap and shocking for the sake of shocking. This is insulting as a piece of "horror" and it's insulting as a piece of fiction. 


Skrew this thing, I wish I read something else instead.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Domestic abuse, and Body horror

Moderate: Biphobia and Homophobia

mackaroni's review

dark sad tense fast-paced

• 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

2.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Rape and Homophobia

another_dahlia's review

dark tense fast-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Stalking, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Murder, Medical content, Medical trauma, Domestic abuse, Body horror, Death, Violence, Torture, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Gore, Physical abuse, and Gun violence

Moderate: Death of parent, Terminal illness, Gun violence, Religious bigotry, Fatphobia, Biphobia, Cancer, Blood, Homophobia, and Body shaming

whatchareadingheather's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

I think this had a lot of interesting and dark things going for it, but I wish that this was a full-length work because I feel like it took a bit of time for shit to hit the fan but ended abruptly. I think this author is great with atmospheric details and creating unsettling feelings for the reader (in the best way possible). It was super addictive trying to figure out what was going to happen though, so I would absolutely recommend this for people who are looking to spend the day relaxing with an enticing book.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Rape, Emotional abuse, Trafficking, Domestic abuse, and Injury/Injury detail

speaksoft's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror and Rape

Moderate: Homophobia and Biphobia

quills4days's review

dark fast-paced

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

2.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Medical content, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Gore, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Lesbophobia, Homophobia, and Child abuse

montsebens's review

challenging dark emotional 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

4.0

Most monsters are just people the heroes abused.

I can’t decide if I’m traumatized, enthralled, or emotional. Waif is a rollercoaster that starts in the unknown and only moves through darkness. It’s a wave of pleasure that rises a heartbeat to then sink it in sorrow. 

My mistake was reading this at night. The descriptions are vivid and raw, it made me feel haunted in a way I’ve never experienced before. The realization that I identified with Angie sunk me right down with her — I felt like I was her. I held my breath the entire way through, and I’m going to keep my inhale in my lungs for a while after putting it down.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Domestic abuse, Abandonment, Gore, Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Physical abuse, and Sexual content

Moderate: Blood, Stalking, Infidelity, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Death, Gaslighting, and Drug use

Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Body shaming, Classism, Dysphoria, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Biphobia, and Lesbophobia

erica_reads_things's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• 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

3.0

This book was certainly not what I expected. It's almost as if there were two completely different stories from beginning to end but I didn't hate it? Super strange, not as horror gory as I was expecting from it being on those sort of lists and recommendations. I enjoyed thinking about and reflecting on the themes of societies expectations of women and our bodies, our relationships with men, homophoia, etc. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Rape, Murder, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Physical abuse, Medical content, Emotional abuse, Dysphoria, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Infidelity, Gore, Misogyny, Kidnapping, Blood, Violence, Gun violence, and Biphobia

Minor: Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, and Classism