Reviews tagging 'Self harm'

Boy Parts by Eliza Clark

325 reviews

documentno_is's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

I went into Boy Parts largely blind and was better for it, the shock factor and depravity of the slow unveiling of the nature of our protagonist was more impactful than had I known what to expect. I hated every moment of being in this character's head and yet grapple with

the ways in which she can be both predator and victim.  Our main character is a master of manipulation and drowning in her own narcissism yet we see the multitude of ways she is failed by those around her, fueling her perversions.

In many ways reading this novel felt unbearable, both in the situations conjured up and the thought processes we are made privy to. This book felt cutting and revolting in the same ways

Lolita does

. My only complaint was the plot post London visit, for as shocking and fast paced as it was for the first 4/5ths of the story it puttered out

rather ungracefully to an unsatisfying ending of repetitions as is common of unveiling your central underlying "secret" too early on. We are left in liminal space of not knowing how much of our character's recollection is psychosis and how much is sociopathy, undoing much of the suspense of earlier on.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Physical abuse, Eating disorder, Drug use, Death, Biphobia, Sexual violence, Blood, Transphobia, Toxic relationship, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Body horror, Alcoholism, Vomit, Rape, Violence, Torture, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Dysphoria, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Classism, Body shaming, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Self harm, Pedophilia, Misogyny, Alcohol, and Abandonment

liketheainapple's review against another edition

challenging dark funny mysterious reflective tense medium-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

4.0

I swear I heard that Rachel Sennott audio where she goes, “You’re the murderer! I knew it I knew it! You’re such a bitch! You’re such a fucking bitch!”

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Drug abuse, Alcohol, Body horror, Sexual assault, Rape, Pedophilia, Body shaming, Murder, Violence, Toxic friendship, and Vomit

Moderate: Racism and Self harm

Minor: Abortion and Trafficking

keraturner20's review against another edition

dark funny sad medium-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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Violence, Murder, and Eating disorder

Moderate: Self harm, Religious bigotry, Addiction, and Fatphobia

Phenomenal book, but the ending forced me not to give a 5 star.

keirahelena_'s review against another edition

challenging dark sad 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Self harm, Animal death, Eating disorder, Sexual assault, Rape, Drug abuse, Sexual violence, and Murder

oywiththepoodles's review against another edition

dark medium-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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Sexual violence, Rape, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Toxic friendship, Animal death, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Self harm

hjb_128's review against another edition

challenging dark 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Violence, Rape, Injury/Injury detail, Addiction, Pedophilia, Self harm, Physical abuse, Drug abuse, Torture, Cursing, Body horror, Blood, Toxic friendship, Mental illness, Murder, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Gore, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, and Animal death

Moderate: Biphobia, Fatphobia, and Classism

sofiaboebia's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

this book was intense with a lighthearted “nothing matters” tone, in the creepiest way. The last chapter sums this up completely and is a stunning ending to such a gripping book. It almost feels stereotypical but not, it feels like it relies on shock but it doesn’t, it’s well written but almost not. The last line leaves you mouth open, but not particularly shocking. The book follows a deeply attractive woman’s sabbatical from a bar job she was forced to take. excessive drug use, mania, and clearly phycopathic behaviors leave her recollection of the story questionable and unreliable. The first 200 pages are a slow build of a clearly messed up woman living here life as a photographer and partying but the last 100 pages take a dark and gorey turn. This book follows her vengefulness and almost rage, and as awful as she is, she is an compelling and (for some of it) almost forgivable main character(this obviously has to do with her narration as well). This book is almost entirely character driven, nothing “just happens” to her except for the reason she is on a sabbatical in the first place. Although it is plot driven there is no positive character development to speak of, throughout the book she looks through her archives of photos and reflects, but clearly she has been a similar person for a long time and will continue to be.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Cursing, Toxic relationship, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Vomit, Self harm, Alcohol, Torture, Sexual violence, Eating disorder, Sexual content, Gore, Rape, Addiction, Body horror, Drug use, and Sexual assault

begumisu's review against another edition

dark sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Mental illness, Murder, Self harm, Blood, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Addiction, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Physical abuse, Violence, Sexual violence, and Suicidal thoughts

isaarusilor's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Death, Murder, Physical abuse, Self harm, Body horror, Animal death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Rape, Vomit, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Eating disorder, Sexual assault, and Injury/Injury detail

moriarty94's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

4.25

This book really struck me. I have a lot of thoughts and feelings about it.

Irina sucks. She's a horrible person. She is mean and self-centered, dehumanizing and manipulating everyone around her. She gives very little thought to the consequences of her actions, with one very notable exception.

I feel bad for everyone who has the misfortune of interacting with Irina. Why does Flo hang on after all these years? What could she possibly love about Irina, or the way Irina treats her? Why would Finch want to hang around her, after seeing how she treats Flow and hearing Irina's critique of his photos.

Irina's decisions stressed me out. She put herself in so many dangerous situations, and then tried to brush them off. She is such a misandrist (which I understand, to an extent, after some of her experiences), but is also subject to patriarchal standards of beauty and female behavior - and projects that onto everyone else. Irina seems to hate men, objectifying them and physically hurting them whenever she can. But she her hatred and objectification of other women only seems to be mental and emotional.

This detestable and unreliable narrator made for an interesting story. It made me wildly uncomfortable, made me think, and made me set it down and take a lap after a particularly gory description of self-harm. Irina was right when she said,

"I wonder what the fuck I have to do for people to recognize me as a threat?"

 

Had Irina been a man, her models would not have hidden their fear or hurt behind haughty fake masculinity - or fear of being turned in to the police for assault.

No one saw Irina as a threat because she was pretty and skinny and talented. They saw her as a conquest until it was too late. And Irina took advantage of that, even when she hated it.

Overall I really liked this book. It was a harsh reminder that people make poor choices when it comes to people we love(d) or want to love/notice/have sex with us. I do wonder what happened to Mr. B - I think he knew

the Polaroids were real and he cut himself off for fear of being implicated

. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Self harm, Violence, Toxic friendship, Physical abuse, Murder, Sexual violence, Eating disorder, and Drug use