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stories_of_the_soul27's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Irina is unlikable and unreliable. She is cruel, unhinged and broken (?). She is powerful in the sense that she knows the screws she needs to tweak to get her ways. She picks up this average looking men and makes them feel desirable by clicking racy pictures of them. The whole power dynamics is so hypnotic. She is so controlling and manipulative of her subjects. They bow to her because she plays her part well. She knows how to dress, how to talk and exactly how to reply to keep everyone on the hook. She fishes the insecure ones and completely exploits and uses them. There’s certain kind of cruelness to her. She sneers when she hears her male contemporary getting awards and recognitions by photographing already sexy women models while Irina is building things literally from scratch with average looking men.
The jump between present and past was so smooth and the timing was rightly done. Her crazy actions completely threw me off sometimes. Irina does a lot of unjustified things. And she will continue to do so unless she has a massive breakdown or she is stopped. She was abused in her teenage years and the way her mother treats her to this day is another reason why Irina cannot be nice to anyone. Irina is mean and vile through to her core. She does not even spare strangers without acting against them even it is in small ways. She is obsessed with being skinny in the most unhealthy ways. She cannot let go of her girl best friend whom she just wrings and uses like a dishcloth.
Irina’s job is one which has also put her in harm’s way. Calling unknown men to her home to be photographed in a fetishised way her cost her security. Still she plowed on. Stupid or brave? A disparity definitely because if roles were reversed it is again women only who are in danger. Irina is also a regular drunk and addict. This has also lead to her safety issues. She knows this and yet she goes on with this lifestyle. She is self destructive. Either she believes that the worst has already happened to her or she believes that she won’t let the men (or patriarchal society) stop her from living her life the way she wants.
The books after second half goes on to becoming more dark and visceral. More of Irina’s unhinged actions are thrown a light upon. She asks a question at one point about how far she can take it before someone tells her to fuck off without trying to justify her actions. I think she is frustrated for not being taken seriously because she is a woman from a working class with a middle class upbringing. The world she is trying to venture into and life she wants to build for herself is one full of posh, upper class people. It is very far out of her reach.
I do believe our surroundings while growing up make us who we are. Part of Irina is because of that. But I also believe that we are our choices. So yes some part of Irina is crazy like a psycho. She simply likes violent shit and is always willing to take it a bit too far. Her choice of movies and what she does to her models is evidence of that. But yes she is a victim too.
I will reread this book again after a few years later and try to critically judge the themes then after reading a bit more of books in this genre.
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Blood, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
astraea93's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body shaming, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Toxic friendship
Minor: Racism
editorgrrl's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
An unreliable narrator, she drops names, watches ultra violent films, and wishes she were a stone cold bitch rather than a plumber’s daughter who’s only working part time at a seedy bar so that her mam will continue to pay half her rent.
If you hate unlikable characters, this is not the book for you. I found it darkly humorous, and a little sad.
Graphic: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, and Self harm
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, and Vomit
writeasiread's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Blood, Vomit, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
kibiiiariii's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Biphobia, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Gore, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Acephobia/Arophobia, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Lesbophobia, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
hades_hotline's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.25
Graphic: Drug use, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Murder, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Gore, Self harm, Torture, Toxic relationship, Blood, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Minor: Vomit
_tabby_'s review against another edition
- 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
5.0
I bought it in 2021 but I only recently had the time to get round to reading it and wow I've been missing out. I originally picked it up because I saw a review where someone had called it "the female American psycho" and at first I was very confused why it was given that title because the only thing they had in common was nudity BUT THEN OMG I UNDERSTOOD WHY THEY COMPARED THE TWO
The unreliable narrator and her unreliable (maybe fake) memories? Delicious
Clark does an excellent job ramping up the danger throughout the book and hiding secrets from us before revealing them in due time
There were quite a few twists in this book that I did not expect at all and my jaw was dropped and I audibly gasped a considerable amount of times
While the writing isn't difficult or complex and it's quite an easy read, Clark still manages to create several layers to a story that is deceptively simple at the beginning.
This book has heavily inspired me which is why I gave it such a high rating.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Mental illness, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Blood, Vomit, Murder, and Alcohol
Moderate: Animal death, Rape, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Body shaming, Cancer, and Eating disorder
sweethibe's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
plxtoprojector's review against another edition
- 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
Really disliked the way her eating disorder was approached. If you're not going to delve into something as complex as an ED beyond stereotypical, surface level definitions, don't write it at all. I think a lot of the insufferable writing choices are just that- insufferable, but they also are very appropriate for the protagonist.
I have so many thoughts I don't know how to explain- will definitely read again and annotate.
Graphic: Drug use, Sexual content, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Self harm, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Eating disorder and Sexual assault
sophiapt's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Jokes aside, this was such an interesting book about how women are so easy to abuse in our patriarchal system but therefore are also not seen as a threat to men or even as people who could do any harm.
There where so many interesting themes covered such as art, beauty standards, (poor) mental health,... And the book manages to be horrible, funny and beautiful all at the same time.
Maybe look up trigger warnings before reading...
Graphic: Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Vomit