Reviews tagging 'Grief'

I Have Some Questions For You by Rebecca Makkai

57 reviews

csgetlawdegrees's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-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? It's complicated

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Death, Adult/minor relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Violence

Moderate: Body shaming, Adult/minor relationship, Eating disorder, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Sexual assault, Child death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, Violence, Death, Alcoholism, Bullying, Drug use, Murder, Self harm, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Death, Sexual assault, Violence, Murder, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, and Grief

yes_smam's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Grief, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Murder, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Sexual content, Alcohol, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Misogyny

Minor: Abortion, Toxic friendship, Stalking, Pregnancy, Mass/school shootings, Terminal illness, Infidelity, and Gun violence

wamorrison95's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective fast-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexism, Pedophilia, Child abuse, and Murder

Moderate: Eating disorder, Grief, Racism, and Gaslighting

goldenbeebookshop's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad slow-paced

3.0

It's hard to rate this book because there are some compelling things happening here, but it's hard to tell from the description that this novel is mostly about the realities of women who are assaulted and/or murdered, the men who more often than not get away with it, and the deeply flawed and racist judicial system. These are not tangential things- these are the main focus of the plot more than any mysterious aspect finding the real killer.
All evidence thus far does paint a bleak picture for women in America- and there's value to that being explored, I just don't know how I feel about it being hung on this mystery scaffolding. The main character's actions do prompt some questions about whether or not there's nuance when it comes to believing women, to penalizing men for the actions of the past and assessing whether there's a spectrum of behaviors that might warrant different actions, and what kind of justice or truth can be found in the court of public opinion in a time when anyone can have a podcast or YouTube channel.
There is some great writing here- little concise sentences here are there that completely capture the feeling of being young, or being lost, or a person struggling in the world.
The pacing is a little slow in the beginning, and Bode felt a little incomplete as a character. There are little pieces of things dropped in and abandoned that I was uncertain as to whether they were meant to serve as mini red herrings or if they were underdeveloped plot additions. The last quarter of the book did move a lot faster and I find myself eager to sit down and read for an hour straight, which I hadn't been as eager to do before.
I think it might be helpful for people to know going into this that this is a story that feels true in that justice is rarely found in white patriarchal contexts, vigilante justice while potentially satisfying isn't always accurate or successful, and there are ripples of grief and shame that impact family and friends because of the choices of one person that are inescapable. There's no real high note to end on here, which is real, but rare in a fictional mystery.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Bullying, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Sexism, Death of parent, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Grief, Sexual violence, Stalking, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Classism, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Abandonment, Cancer, Murder, Alcohol, Body shaming, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Child death, Medical trauma, Misogyny, and Racism

sarahsbookss's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Murder, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Death of parent, Alcohol, Death, Blood, Cancer, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Grief, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Violence

internationalreads's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

A solid literary thriller that I probably wouldn’t have read if it were not by this author. Uses references to real life crimes against women to get a strong message across. The ending definitely surprised me. I’m not sure I cared that much about any of the characters, though.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Adult/minor relationship, Sexism, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Body shaming, Classism, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Self harm, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

caseythereader's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.25

Thanks to Viking Books for the free advance copy of this book.

 - I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS FOR YOU is a bit of a "ripped from the headlines" novel, in that discourse about true crime's virtues and flaws is a recurring topic of debate these days. I found this fictional case to be quite compelling, layered as it was with issues of race, class, gender, and more. There's a lot to chew on.
- I didn't attend boarding school, but my college was insular in similar ways to the book's Granby school, which may be why I felt so drawn into this story. The way gossip slowly builds into truth over time rang true to me.
- It does get quite slow and introspective in the middle, but the revelations at the end had my mouth hanging open. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Cursing, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Blood, Drug use, Eating disorder, Bullying, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Racism, Suicide attempt, and Sexual violence