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lameura's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Body shaming, Grief, Vomit, Death, Incest, Adult/minor relationship, Suicide, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, Physical abuse, Rape, Addiction, Drug use, Child abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Eating disorder, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Fatphobia, Kidnapping, Murder, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Alcohol, and Dysphoria
olive_lol's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This novel obviously makes you uncomfortable and grossed out on purpose, but I honestly don't think the story benefits much from that. Most of the sensetive or gross topics feel like they were only included for shock and contributed little to any wider commentary. However, some topics are very well-explored, just not most of those included. That said, make sure you check the content warnings for this book.
Nothing much in the plot happens until about the last third; most of the book leading up to that point is a mix of anecdotes, atmosphere, and gross-out description. For most of the first third, I was really considering picking up another book instead because so little was happening or felt significant. It did create a nice payoff when, in the last third, things started happening, but that didn't outweigh the slowness of the beginning and middle for me.
This book really wasn't for me. It had some merits, like strong descriptions and atmosphere. However, I couldn't look past the overly slow pacing and the overuse of some sensetive topics seemingly for shock.
Graphic: Excrement, Murder, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, Eating disorder, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Gaslighting, Incest, Gun violence, Pedophilia, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Stalking, Vomit, Body shaming, Sexual content, Fatphobia, Sexual harassment, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Racial slurs, Classism, Cursing, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Fire/Fire injury, Car accident, Homophobia, and Animal death
danibrand's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Eating disorder, Abandonment, Incest, Rape, Death of parent, Child abuse, and Body shaming
Moderate: Sexual assault, Stalking, Alcohol, Murder, Gun violence, Alcoholism, and Sexual violence
airheadgallery's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Graphic: Child abuse, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, and Gun violence
Moderate: Kidnapping and Stalking
paigerb's review against another edition
2.75
Graphic: Alcohol, Body shaming, Addiction, Eating disorder, Gun violence, Gore, and Child abuse
vbarsi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Child abuse, Alcoholism, Mental illness, Abandonment, Toxic relationship, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Blood, Gun violence, Fatphobia, Torture, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Vomit, Death of parent, Stalking, and Rape
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
augusta_'s review against another edition
- 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
3.25
I liked it better than My Year of Rest and Relaxation—one of her other books I read previously, which, the more I think about the less I like.
The thing is, Eileen still has some of the same problems that disenchanted me with that book. I really don’t love the reused themes of eating disorders, the fantasies of sexual assault, the ultra descriptive paragraphs about laxatives and shitting, with seemingly nothing insightful or redeeming attached to them. Maybe it’s going over my head, maybe i’m not reading deep enough, maybe i’m being too demure. But I don’t think i am. It feels like Ottessa uses these themes for shock and and unconventionality—especially in the form of her narrators—rather than having perceivable psychological significance.
There are a couple moments in the book that escape this and do have a commentary that is more significant, but most of the time that doesn’t feel like the case.
I will say that the pace of this was a lot faster than R&R, and I very much appreciated that. But by the same token I also feel like nothing really happened? It’s fast paced and feels like it’s leading up to this huge thing…but once we get there it feels like about 3 pages of action. Given all the prior building up and alluding to of this “life changing event”, things really fell a little flat once you arrive there. I feel like I was much more intrigued by the lead up, than the actual “climactic” event.
The end falls into the same problem I had with My Year of Rest & Relaxation. We have a character who’s suddenly turned around their once cynical view on life, and yet it doesn’t seem earned—or even really plausible, to me. It feels rushed and neatly tied off, in a way that doesn’t align with the rest of the book.
Graphic: Child abuse, Pedophilia, Alcohol, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Gore, Rape, and Incest
Moderate: Eating disorder, Misogyny, Fatphobia, Police brutality, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Excrement, and Death
Minor: Gun violence, Torture, Blood, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, and Stalking
randisworld's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Rape, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Addiction, Alcoholism, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, and Murder
Moderate: Gun violence, Vomit, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship
hlb2023's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Dysphoria, Excrement, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Self harm, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pedophilia, Fatphobia, Grief, Incest, Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, Sexism, Misogyny, Addiction, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Eating disorder, Violence, Sexual assault, Murder, Mental illness, Child abuse, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Gun violence, and Homophobia
elizlizabeth's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Pedophilia, Alcoholism, Murder, Child abuse, and Eating disorder
Minor: Terminal illness, Police brutality, Homophobia, and Gun violence