Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

In The Clearing by J.P. Pomare

12 reviews

serendipitysbooks's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

 In the Clearing is a taut psychological thriller told from two perspectives. The first is that of Amy, a teenage girl who grows up in a cult, is totally loyal to the leader Adrienne who is known as mother, and has just participated in kidnapping a new member. The other perspective is that of Freya, a yoga teacher and single mother who lives with her young son on the edge of a national park. Freya lost custody of her older child, is extremely security conscious, almost paranoid and is not the most reliable narrator. Of course the two storylines eventually came together, and in a way I wasn’t initially expecting. Pomare excelled in his depictions of creepy cult vibes, the unquestioning almost robotic loyalty, the punishments to those who stepped out of line, and the control exerted by the leader. It was hard to listen to at times. The conditioning of the children and the way this lingered long after the demise of the cult was especially chilling. Learning that this fictional cult is based on an actual cult made it all the darker. Pomare is also a master of red herrings and plot twists of the believable rather than totally out of left field variety. The twist at the end was brilliant. Neither Freya nor Amy are warm or relatable, coming across as cold and detached. I know this bothered some readers, but to me in made sense in the context of their back stories and character arcs. I was first attracted to this books by the cult angle but it was Pomare’s storytelling, pacing and plot twists that kept me hooked.
 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Child death, and Kidnapping

bbell99's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dementia, Emotional abuse, Blood, Child death, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Pedophilia, Child abuse, Drug abuse, and Gaslighting

Minor: Suicide

rochlay24's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Kidnapping and Child abuse

Minor: Rape and Child death

othersociologist's review against another edition

mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault and Child abuse

mjdedevis24's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Death, Dementia, Child abuse, Torture, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Gaslighting, and Mental illness

e11en's review

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Child abuse, Rape, Kidnapping, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Stalking, Police brutality, and Sexual assault

sarah_bovill's review

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse

Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Violence, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Confinement and Dementia

samwescott's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

 Well written thriller! It took me awhile to really get into it, but the pace really picks up at the end. I was able to predict one character’s involvement before the shoe was dropped, but the rest of the twists really got me. I think by the end I may have even been suffering a little bit of twist-fatigue because I think the last few lines were supposed to invoke terror, but I mostly felt resigned and a little tired.

It’s not a super character-driven story (plot is definitely the driver here), so it follows that I was a little overwhelmed by the cast of the novel. Not a lot of big personalities or particularly charismatic relationships, (which is surprising for a cult book) to the point where I was struggling to tell some characters apart. But once I got that sorted and the book showed me that the unfolding story was the priority, I settled in for a good time. And I cannot overstate how much the twist(s) got me. 

Recommend for folks who don’t have child abuse triggers, like a lot of twists, and value plot over characters. There is a very good dog and he does not die. 👍🏻 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Child death

Moderate: Sexual assault

annathorwolf's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• 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? Yes

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Torture, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Violence, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Dementia, and Child death

afriendwithfiction's review

dark tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, and Sexual assault