Reviews with content warning for Adult/minor relationship - Everything Under

This book was definitely an odd read. I had read Fen by Johnson and was excited to see the emerging fantastical elements, but this book felt darker and less empowering. The descriptions were beautiful and Gretel was a loveable character, but I found it difficult to overcome her mother and the story of Margot. I wanted to see Margot live. Sometimes the plot felt murky, as it became difficult to distinguish between the separate narratives, but I really enjoyed how the ending rounded out, and how Gretel's career ebbed into the early memories.

Content Warnings

savvylit's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.5

Everything Under is a book in which the setting is the most key feature. The river Isis and its community of drifters make up the bulk of this ethereal story. Johnson effortlessly invokes the rhythms of river-living in a way that transports.

The mother-daughter dynamics in this book are well-explored and devastating. Gretel's perspective in particular is heart-wrenching and challenging. Johnson gives the book a mysterious element as we wonder alongside Gretel: who was Marcus and why did he change the trajectory of their life?

Overall, this is a lovely and genderfluid retelling of a classic myth. The characters and the setting were so real-seeming. My only complaint would be that something in the structure felt a little too confusing; it was o

Content Warnings

three_graves's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

5.0

Dark and twisted and lyrical. A strange and uneasy story told with confidence and poise. Beautiful and haunting in all the right ways.

Content Warnings

imds's review against another edition

Go to review page

Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

4.0

Content Warnings

veara_'s review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious medium-paced

4.75

Content Warnings

bugle's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

3.5

Content Warnings

ohboysidd's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

I really loved the world this was in and found the idea of River life very interesting. However….

I started to lose faith in the story when it was becoming obvious that Marcus and Sarah were related, and also remembering that Marcus was a minor. I really feel like that was unnecessary in the story, and will pretty much always feel that way when stories try to include incest or pedophilia as if it’s profound. It marred what was a touching and emotional story about finding your lost mother who has Alzheimer’s.

With that being said I still enjoyed the style of writing and would be willing to give other works by the author a chance.

Content Warnings

More...