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ozarkredwood's review against another edition
Graphic: Death and Mental illness
Minor: Rape
misha_ali's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I can't find a way to not be spoilery about it, but the main reason I kept reading instead of DNFing at 15% was to find out how 900 people vanished from this village and nobody in 60 years had an answer to that question. The conclusion was deeply unsatisfying to me, bordering on the nonsensical.
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Suicide attempt
sar_she_her's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.0
The use of those themes feels insensitive, exploitive, and gratuitous in a way that made me feel sick. Probably most painful portrayal of scapegoating I've ever read, just in very poor taste.
The great spooky mood-setting and abandoned/archival imagery could have been woven into a really good story, if only there had been better character development.
While the aforementioned poor decisions of representation were effective "shock-value" (at best a brutal commentary on exploitation of zealots and group-think) the storytelling could have been just as effective without the horrible representation.
Too bad, bc someone recommended it, and I was hoping to like it and recommend to my friends in Sweden. But now I certainly won't, especially with them being caring teachers and parents.
I'm truly surprised the mainstream was so enchanted by the good elements of her writing, and could so easily overlook and accept the horrendous facets.
What bugs me ultimately is having someone from a more privileged demographic sensationalize the exploitation of an underprivileged group. It's problematic and a form of misappropriation essentially having the credit go to, and focus be on, an artist who thinks something "would be a good idea" but at the cost of representing *others'* stories or trauma.
Graphic: Physical abuse, Violence, and Hate crime
Minor: Mental illness
friedfae's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Graphic: Violence
Minor: Mental illness and Vomit
beetitnerds's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I liked all the characters in this book, I liked the jump between perspectives, and the answer to the mystery is good (if predictable to genre-familiar readers). The Epilogue was one of my favorites I've read in a long time. I loved the thoughtfulness with which the author wrote about mentally ill and disabled characters, and I loved the strong and distinct female cast.
My biggest criticism in this story is the pacing. It's a rather short book, and there was a lot of exposition to get through. I enjoyed the exposition, and I enjoyed getting to know the characters, but it meant that the setting- which is almost its own character- didn't get to shine as much as it could have. We didn't get to spend much time building up the suspense and creepiness of the location, which is a shame, because I think this story could have used the documentary framing device to its advantage to give us an excuse to actually see the ironworks, for example. It's also a shame that we didn't see
Graphic: Ableism, Death, and Mental illness
Moderate: Sexual assault
icanhazknit's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Mental illness
cluelesspixie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Mental illness, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Rape
Moderate: Abandonment
carmina_r's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Rape, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Mental illness
thelovelylibrarylady's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Murder, Ableism, Violence, and Mental illness
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Emotional abuse
Minor: Rape
jazzsilvestri's review
- Loveable characters? No
2.0
Graphic: Mental illness and Murder
Moderate: Suicide attempt and Rape