Reviews tagging 'Death'

Permafrost by Eva Baltasar

6 reviews

bethanwx's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

This is such a beautifully written book, but the narrative feels a bit meandering for me. Baltasar hasn't yet mastered tying her poetic language and significant themes into a clear narrative. I much prefered Boulder.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Death

Moderate: Transphobia

courtenaywrites's review

dark reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.25

Baltasar is first and foremost a poet. That much is obvious by the lyrical nature of 'Permafrost'. I have adored everything Baltasar has written, and I am looking forward to her upcoming novel. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Terminal illness

thewordsdevourer's review against another edition

dark funny reflective medium-paced

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

2.0

permafrost is a book abt death, sex and the drudgery of everyday life, told thru the pov of a lesbian narrator drifting from one place to another, from the arms of a lover to the next. the narrative voice is darkly dry, occasionally funny and bemusingly relatable. as a story, however, it's too stagnant for my taste: multiple chapters and events are so similar that they blur into each other, w/ the story simply droning on and on w/o reprieve, and eventually taking me a week to finish despite being a very slim volume. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual content

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Medical content, and Death

Minor: Lesbophobia

emisharples's review

challenging dark reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Death, Self harm, and Suicide attempt

miasmxle's review

dark emotional reflective sad

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• 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: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Suicide, and Self harm

Moderate: Sexual content, Death, and Death of parent

Minor: Medical content

very_mellifluous's review

challenging dark reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.5

This is a book that I somewhat disliked on first read because it deals with subjects that I am sensitive to: suicide, depression, and the mother wound. However, Permafrost also feels like a book that I will return to, and grow to like more and more as I digest and reflect upon it. I did not relate to the narrator's motives or ways of thinking, and while this was sometimes unsettling and jarring to read, it was also intriguing to 'experience.'

For readers considering Permafrost: the summary on the book jacket is basically irrelevant and mostly useless. Read if you're interested in a character study, love sturdy sentences, and enjoy a non-chronological progression with a killer ending (not a spoiler!). 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Self harm, Sexual content, and Suicide attempt