Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

The Idiot by Elif Batuman

17 reviews

mattyvreads's review

challenging emotional informative slow-paced

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

2.75

This book is not for me. I, unfortunately, did not really care for it. I found it to be for real very boring, actually.

I do think it is well-written, but it could have been an email.

It was like “POV toxic relationship”. Like a culmination of my least favorite parts of “A Very Nice Girl” and my least favorite stylistic elements of “Flights”. Just… not for me.

There were good parts! I find moments in this book absolutely and effortlessly hilarious. The author finds humor in the mundane and in the human condition.

Many parts of the book went over my head. I found it mostly pretentious and unapproachable. Also, the protagonist’s neuroses were in constant conflict with my own.

Some of the book was actually informative. I love the way that it discusses language and the evolution of language, and shit like that. Pretty cool.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Racism, War, Alcoholism, Homophobia, and Misogyny

nataliegray's review

challenging emotional reflective slow-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Racism

Minor: Sexual content and Body shaming

greatexpectations77's review against another edition

challenging reflective slow-paced

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

3.75

I freely admit that it is possible that I didn't "get" this book, but it really felt like, and the text itself says this, it's 14 hours of the characters misunderstanding each other. But not in a Hallmark-movie-misunderstanding-silly way, like a "I guess that XXX." "What?" "Nothing." "No, what did you say?" "It's dumb. Just that I guess that XXX." "Oh." way. And I am all for a weird little book that is doing something different than the norm, but this got tedious. The writing isn't bad at all, but I had a hard time getting engaged. Which could be the point? That Selin couldn't get engaged with Ivan either? I feel like I could write on this book, but it didn't qualify as a "fun" read for me. I'm not sure this had a plot?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Infidelity, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, and Grief

Minor: Body shaming, Racism, and Animal cruelty

mraddant's review

funny reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Toxic relationship

risemini's review

funny reflective fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Eating disorder, Alcohol, and Emotional abuse

dalaia's review

lighthearted reflective slow-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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Toxic relationship

Minor: Sexual content

bronade's review

emotional funny slow-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship

Moderate: Racial slurs

hannibanani29's review against another edition

challenging funny reflective slow-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide, Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Racial slurs, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Racism, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, and Cursing

emscatchard's review

funny inspiring reflective slow-paced

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

4.0

the first 100 or so pages before she started emailing ivan took me a year to get through, but i really enjoyed the writing style the whole way through. there was no plot, and i found it reminded me of watching those "day in the life" tiktoks people make where you can sit back and get a glimpse through other peoples eyes.

fuck ivan though. very well written character but fuck him fr what an ass

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship and Toxic friendship

wasabby's review

sad slow-paced

• 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? Yes

2.0

The first half of the book is focused on Selin, a freshman at Harvard, going through the machinations of college life. If the whole book was set up like this, I think it'd be easier to like it. Unfortunately, at the halfway mark, the book devolves into a strange grooming scenario between Selin and a senior/grad student. When you combine that with the sheer amount of casual racism, literal slurs, *acknowledgement* of the slurs and yet the continued use of them, the constant antisemitism the book somehow always finds a way to come back to... it's not a good book. It glorifies a predatory dynamic between a young woman and a man too old to be dating an 18 year old. It doesn't criticize the lack of empathy Selin feels for those around her. Characters in the book are often devoid of any real personality beyond "the black roommate" and "the friend of a friend who has a girlfriend in a wheelchair." Also just a lot of strange sexual content. If any of that's not your cup of tea, I'd avoid reading this.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Genocide, Grief, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Colonisation, Homophobia, Animal cruelty, Antisemitism, Excrement, Emotional abuse, War, Alcoholism, Classism, Eating disorder, Racial slurs, Racism, Addiction, Child death, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Ableism, Body shaming, Drug use, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Stalking, and Xenophobia