Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

The Test by Sylvain Neuvel

10 reviews

opplecopter's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Meet Idir. An Iranian man sitting for the British Citizenship Test. He’s brought his wife and two children along with him to wait while he answers 25 multiple choice questions that will determine their future. He feels confident in his ability to pass, but the test is unexpectedly interrupted and Idir is immediately plunged into a nightmare where the questions asked of him shift into life and death. 

This is one of those books that left me speechless. I had to sit and think on it for a minute after finishing. At barely over 100 pages this little dystopian novella packs a punch with its mixture of thriller/sci-fi/psychological flavors going on. It gave me strong Black Mirror vibes and although I think the story wrapped up perfectly in those short pages, I’m honestly so sad it wasn’t longer because I wanted more! This was incredible and really makes you reflect on topics like the numerous and sometimes ridiculous requirements involved in immigration, how we determine the value of human lives, what choices we would make in situations when the options presented seem impossible, and how our choices ripple out and impact the lives of others. If you’re looking for something to really get into your head and make you ask “what would I do?” then this is for you. I can’t say much without spoiling the plot, but this is truly worth reading. My first 5 star book of the new year and one of the best I’ve read hands down.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Murder, Gun violence, Violence, Racism, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Blood, and Death

Moderate: Deportation

Minor: Child abuse

tey_lynn's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-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? No

3.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Murder, Grief, Violence, Blood, Body shaming, Death of parent, Gun violence, Confinement, Death, Deportation, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, and Suicidal thoughts

cosmicpanda's review

dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder, Racism, Violence, Grief, Islamophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Blood, Body shaming, Deportation, Fatphobia, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

Minor: Abortion, Alcohol, Drug use, Medical content, Sexism, Misogyny, and Rape

bookbird's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

Punchy and interesting and terribly sad. Would love to see this premise expanded. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Cursing, Death of parent, Islamophobia, Murder, Gun violence, Hate crime, Violence, Mass/school shootings, and Death

cyskafoxtail's review against another edition

emotional tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Death, and Death of parent

Moderate: Violence and Suicide attempt

kstericker's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Mass/school shootings, Violence, Fatphobia, and Grief

Minor: Hate crime, Islamophobia, and Racism

dealingwithdragons's review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Murder, Physical abuse, Torture, Blood, Body shaming, Death of parent, Police brutality, Confinement, Death, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Islamophobia, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Child abuse, Cursing, Gaslighting, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Medical trauma, Medical content, and Bullying

Minor: Abortion, Sexual assault, Dementia, Child death, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Torture

scarpentier's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood, Death, Death of parent, Gun violence, Murder, and Suicidal thoughts

spacebot3000's review

challenging dark emotional funny sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Gun violence, and Violence

Moderate: Blood, Death of parent, Gore, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Fatphobia, Rape, Sexual assault, and Islamophobia

juliezantopoulos's review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

2.5

I am not sure I have words for this one. I love Sylvain's writing, but this was...dark. And I'm not entirely sure that it had to be in order to get the point across. I understand dystopian worlds and alternate futures, but this felt a little like torture porn, a book written purely to shock. It's not the first time a book on the morality of choosing who lives and who dies has been written...but this was a little much. 

It does a good job of packing a punch in a short novella. There's a deeper meaning and diversity of character, but I didn't love this one the way I hoped I would. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Death, Death of parent, Fatphobia, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Medical content, Murder, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Child abuse, Medical content, and Sexual assault