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palomabbrackin's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I had a really hard time with this book.
Content-wise, the themes of this story were so captivating as discussions of toxic masculinity, machismo, and violence against women were brought in the context of a southern Mexican setting, with horrible horrible main characters. The authors use of vividly decrepit and disgusting imagery really encapsulates the absolute horrendous nature in which these men think, and the motives behind their decisions. Ultimately, however, to understand them is to understand the culture they are brought up in, and to understand how they feel indebted to life simply due to their gender.
As a Mexican American woman, this book tackles ideas I know all too well.
While I have much to say on the content of this book, I found a lot negative in the formatting and translation in the book. I had so many issues following the lengthy run-on sentences, and found myself skimming through parts I deemed uncomfortable. I found some of the babble to be unimportant at times, and hard for me to care about. Very violent depictions of women, while necessary in the context of the theme of this book, were at times so gruesome they became nauseating and had me feeling upset, needing time away from the book.
Overall, I cannot see myself giving this book over a 3.5 because of the above mentioned.
Content-wise, the themes of this story were so captivating as discussions of toxic masculinity, machismo, and violence against women were brought in the context of a southern Mexican setting, with horrible horrible main characters. The authors use of vividly decrepit and disgusting imagery really encapsulates the absolute horrendous nature in which these men think, and the motives behind their decisions. Ultimately, however, to understand them is to understand the culture they are brought up in, and to understand how they feel indebted to life simply due to their gender.
As a Mexican American woman, this book tackles ideas I know all too well.
While I have much to say on the content of this book, I found a lot negative in the formatting and translation in the book. I had so many issues following the lengthy run-on sentences, and found myself skimming through parts I deemed uncomfortable. I found some of the babble to be unimportant at times, and hard for me to care about. Very violent depictions of women, while necessary in the context of the theme of this book, were at times so gruesome they became nauseating and had me feeling upset, needing time away from the book.
Overall, I cannot see myself giving this book over a 3.5 because of the above mentioned.
wundini's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
After reading a few of this author’s books, I knew what to expect. This story is shocking, filled with violence, sex, and vulgar language, all presented in sentences that stretch on for pages. Despite being only 150 pages long, the ultra-visceral realism and dark undertones make it a dense and challenging read. It’s hard to like, but undeniably strong.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, and Alcohol
jrodriguezdiaz's review against another edition
dark
funny
tense
fast-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
4.25
evebroadbent's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Blood, Murder, and Alcohol
Moderate: Body shaming
alvamalmstrom's review against another edition
Långa kapitel, långa meningar (mer än en sida utan punkt) och långa äckliga scener när en grabb runkar. För experimentell för mig så jag kände inget sug att fortsätta läsa.
delanipiasecki's review against another edition
3.0
hated reading it but also really wanted to see how things culminated to the bad thing hinted at throughout so i read it
it was just as horrible and bleak as i thought
i don’t know what Fernanda Melchor is trying to say? i think i would have appreciated it more if i could empathize with polo more as a character if at the end he accepted some blame instead of pushing it on other ppl like he does the entire story, or if he was completely irredeemable (like Franco) and we weren’t told these things about his hardships & struggles in life? bc as it is i don’t care about him and i never empathized with him and i disliked him maybe even more than any other character for being hypocritical about his capacity for violence & misogyny & hate. But also i felt maybe a little bit bad about myself that bc he is like this/did these things, i don’t even care about the child version of him that was victimized too?
much to think about here
it was just as horrible and bleak as i thought
i don’t know what Fernanda Melchor is trying to say? i think i would have appreciated it more if i could empathize with polo more as a character if at the end he accepted some blame instead of pushing it on other ppl like he does the entire story, or if he was completely irredeemable (like Franco) and we weren’t told these things about his hardships & struggles in life? bc as it is i don’t care about him and i never empathized with him and i disliked him maybe even more than any other character for being hypocritical about his capacity for violence & misogyny & hate. But also i felt maybe a little bit bad about myself that bc he is like this/did these things, i don’t even care about the child version of him that was victimized too?
much to think about here
al_davies's review against another edition
challenging
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
kaelynreads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
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
2.5