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griminycricket's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Slavery, Blood, Child death, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Violence, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Sexism, Excrement, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Child abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, and Vomit
aparker89's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Mental illness, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, Physical abuse, Torture, and Sexual content
Moderate: Slavery, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Dysphoria, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Bullying, Body shaming, Excrement, Grief, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Self harm, Sexual assault, Medical content, Suicide attempt, and Rape
theoisnotalive's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Kidnapping, Rape, Slavery, and Suicide attempt
saraakers's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Sexual violence
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Suicide, Slavery, Vomit, Self harm, and Rape
jkar7's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Torture, Kidnapping, Gaslighting, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Stalking, Sexual content, Self harm, Child abuse, Suicide, Sexual violence, Slavery, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Miscarriage and Murder
kayjpggg's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Minor: Mental illness, Sexual assault, Slavery, Trafficking, Physical abuse, Rape, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Miscarriage, and Self harm
drag0nfly's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Confinement, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, and Slavery
simple_alien's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I really liked that the story is from the perspective of the 5 year old boy Jack. I think it is an interesting lens to view such a story. The focus on Jack's limited but expanding view of the world is really cool, how his Ma teaches him a child-friendly version of the world to protect him, and how this starts getting challenged. It is very thought provoking to put yourself in his shoes as the story progresses and he experiences new and terrifying things about the world.
It reminds me of Plato's Allegory of the Cave: "A group of humans live their whole lives in a cave, tied down to stare at a singular cave wall. Behind them, other people, puppeteers, use fire to project shadows on the wall. To the prisoners, these shadows are reality."
As is Jack's reality of himself, his Ma, Room, Space, and the things he sees on TV.
With all this in mind, there are times where the narration gets difficult to read. While Jack has a large vocabulary for a 5 year old, he still uses made up words, and the narration has purposefully child-like grammar. As a reader, you will either appreciate this as a novelty or it will frustrate you to no end. I personally thought it was great.
I watched the movie before I read the book. They are very similar. The book offers a little more in terms of expanding the details of their every day lives, but not too too much. The most interesting thing the book offers that the movie doesn't, is a more direct line into Jack's thoughts, as he offers a really interesting frame for the story. But again, you will either love that or hate it.
Not a perfect book - at certain points it gets a little slow. But there are some parts that will really stick with me, and were quite gripping and emotional.
Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Trafficking
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Vomit, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Slavery, and Suicide attempt
seuknitcat's review against another edition
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Minor: Rape, Violence, Toxic relationship, Slavery, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Miscarriage, and Confinement