Reviews with content warning for Eating disorder - Real Life

יש לי בעיה קשה עם הספר הזה, כי הוא כתוב -נהדר- ממש, וחלקים גדולים ממנו מופלאים ברמת חמישה כוכבים, אבל החלקים שלא כ״כ מעצבנים שאני לא יכולה, פשוט לא יכולה, לדרג ביותר משלושה.

Content Warnings

frankieclc's review against another edition

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5.0

Content Warnings

archiveofrasa's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

if you go into literary fiction expecting/wanting satisfying happy endings, I hate to break this to you but you're in the wrong place. the title portrays precisely what this book does: it provides you a realistic perspective on real life. I also don't think this is a book you should read if you are just getting introduced to anti-blackness and homophobia. nothing is outright challenged. called out mentally by Wallace? yes. but there are reasons why Wallace does not call it out directly. that's the point.

I was really rooting for Wallace to be happy and while yeah, I'm disappointed that he never really got that, I wasn't surprised. this man is severely depressed and I could feel it through the words and the structure of the story. personally, I didn't find this book to be as dark and sad as other readers were saying it was but maybe I'm just desensitised to these events. gen Z things. but do check the content warnings, I can't stress that enough.

as a person (of colour and queer identity) going into the sciences, it was really nice seeing lab work in this, despite everything Wallace went through, a look into the STEM side of academia. you learn why it's so difficult for POC, especially black folk, to bring up these issues. not all of us are strong-willed or confident to be able to do that. we're sensitive, we're disadvantaged, we have to force ourselves to be realistic. no, none of the racism or homophobia gets called out directly, but since the author is black and gay himself, I didn't expect him to have to give us that. he provides us with situations to show us what happens when confrontations do happen and essentially, why Wallace just chooses to go along with all the shit white people around him pull despite it all. it's so fucking realistic, as painful as it may be.

speaking of realism, most conversations in this book felt so uncomfortable. I loved how none of the characters knew what to say or how to say something; it felt so real like I was watching actual people interact in real time where you can't go and undo something you said. ironic to say this, since it is a book, but none of it felt scripted.

and the characters. again, they all felt like real people with real conflicts. you don't end up liking any of them, even if you agree with some of the points they make.

the conversation on polyamory: I did not want to agree with Roman over Cole because Roman's a fucking racist pig (he's French so are we surprised) but Cole calling themselves "normal gays" and "not queer" felt so fucking gross too. there is nuance here, there is realism.

I love representing prejudice as not something inherently evil but something we've been conditioned to believe, that anyone can be prejudiced and you are not above it just because you are nice and sweet to everyone and have some good views. humanisation isn't always to help you sympathise with someone who is bad, it's to show you that you could've become that bad person because of xyz.

in terms of enjoyment: not so much because the topics were heavy lol. know that you most likely will not have a super fun ride while reading this, but I do highly recommend it if the trigger warnings are something you can handle.

Content Warnings

foxblood's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

This book was a little hard for me to push through in the last third - definitely check TWs prior. Regardless, I really enjoyed certain aspects of this book, and it will certainly stick with me.

Content Warnings

clocrim's review against another edition

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medium-paced

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

3.75

Content Warnings

lu161's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

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