Reviews

Cleanness by Garth Greenwell

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There was a lot in here that made me feel kind of unclean reading, but also humanized the story in the sense of watching someone else allowing themself to suffer to feel like they were worth something. At the heart of Cleanness is a want to be loved and cherished, and the unnamed main character finds these feelings through a series of abasements, breaching of boundaries, and incidental examples of pure care.

a_dominy's review

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dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

csgiansante's review against another edition

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4.0

3.5/5 I'm very conflicted about this one? Started by not liking it and not getting it; ended by not liking and not getting it but in a different way? I think the ending was nice and there were some good chapters, but it lacked cohesiveness (which I get is part of the way it's written, which I also didn't looooove). But then there were some redeeming chapters? I don't know?