Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

Biography of X by Catherine Lacey

12 reviews

theshanana's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting and Emotional abuse

Minor: Rape

moond4ncer's review

challenging dark emotional relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

X should have been an ex- even before pointing the gun. This is a story written from the perspective of an obsessive narcissist about a misanthropic narcissist. X is not interesting enough to be as awful as she is to the people that love her. And our narrator is so unreliable at times I wondered if I was wasting my time.

 I was reminded near the end though that each partner in a relationship has their own version of the relationship, from to way that they perceive you from the way they see the role they play in the relationship. When these things are factually inaccurate, the couple has to work harder in different ways. 


It was also a reminder that as time goes on everything evolves. Relationships change, and people change too (though not usually into different people like X). Even the experience of the book changed. At times I was hanging on every word. At times it was so slow or pretentious that I didn't think I'd pick it up again. Altogether I think I've walked away with an insistent urge to hug my lovely boyfriend and a reminder that life and love are as complex as each other. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Toxic friendship, War, Gaslighting, Stalking, Domestic abuse, Abandonment, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Grief, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Violence

huckleberryrk's review against another edition

challenging mysterious slow-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Abandonment, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Violence and Homophobia

Minor: Gun violence

spookieweston's review

challenging dark reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Death, and Drug use

Moderate: Religious bigotry, Physical abuse, Gaslighting, and Stalking

Minor: Suicide

bluedilly's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Gaslighting, Grief, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Stalking, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Blood, Bullying, Excrement, Infidelity, Murder, Misogyny, Sexism, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Self harm, Violence, War, Pregnancy, Addiction, Alcohol, and Child abuse

Minor: Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Racism, Rape, Biphobia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual content, Homophobia, Classism, Lesbophobia, Cancer, Sexual assault, Dementia, Ableism, and Adult/minor relationship

mirandakellymacbeth's review

I found the world this book is written in (an alternate time line USA) to be super interesting but the characters to lack anything relatable or even enjoyable about them. Like the more I learned about X the more annoyed I was with her and the more annoyed I was for her wife’s obsession (or “love”) for her. Ultimately I decided to stop reading it because it felt a little bit like a drag. I would have preferred a tradition first or third person story form int his world rather than the biography form. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Religious bigotry, and Emotional abuse

Minor: War, Racism, Abortion, Homophobia, and Death

readingpicnic's review

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Gaslighting, Grief, Adult/minor relationship, Addiction, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Homophobia, Religious bigotry, Gun violence, War, Stalking, Murder, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, and Emotional abuse

overmonroeville's review

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Grief, Abandonment, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, War, Racism, Stalking, and Physical abuse

Minor: Schizophrenia/Psychosis

rachaelwho's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This one was not for me. It feels unfair not to like it- it's not NOT what the description says it is, but I thought it would be more compelling and exciting. There didn't seem to be a good reason why it couldn't be, but it wasn't. It was unbearably dry and felt so, so very long. I've loved others of Lacey's books and was stoked for this one, and on paper it seems to deal with all the usual themes she does so much with in other works, but it just didn't do it for me. I did get a little self-satisfied kick from recognizing the names of real art world characters dropped into the (fictional) works cited. I think maybe I'd have liked this more at a brisker pace, half the length, and that's likely on me because I say that a lot lately. Maybe I'll try this one again but it drained me and felt positively colorless, bloodless.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Stalking, Self harm, Domestic abuse, Violence, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Religious bigotry, Outing, Xenophobia, Lesbophobia, Gun violence, War, and Homophobia

uncle_shai's review

• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

The alternative history part is interesting. But the fact that there was so much name dropping and even portrayal of real-life people acting in this alt-history gets me concerned that my memory might confuse this fiction with reality. If it were a great book I wouldn't mind so much.
The alt-history and compelling tale of X was certainly thought-provoking. But bottom line the book is about how abuse and manipulation in a relationship can be confused with love. Maybe it is more subtle than that.
However, a book like In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado deals with that issue in a more direct and moving way.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting