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futuretreeman's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Just like the book-within-the-book "Tidy Magic", 'The Book of Form and Emptiness', flew off the shelf to me. I was in the middle of several projects about homes and objects, the way objects feel and the way they make us feel and the memories they help us make. I even wrote poems about forks and spoons and napkins.
I was also beginning some self-discovery at the time. My dad died too when I was a little kid and after years of ignoring how it hurt, I finally started to recognize how it really made me feel and who I had turned into.
By the time I finished the book, I had gone through other changes too. I learned what a terrific friend I had been in college, unreliable, apathetic, and exactly the kind of person I had always feared becoming. I went through back-and-forth stages of putting the blame all on me, all on my friends, and realizing we all had roles to play.
I've felt much like Benny. I even feel like Annabelle as I write this review.
The certainly hasn't changed my life, and it will take far more than words on a page to heal my hurt and the hurt I've caused others. But this book has had a marvelous impact on me. I sometimes find myself wondering if a hot pan burns because it is angry at you for hurting it by putting it in the oven. But my family hasn't read this book and they'd think I was crazy if I said it out loud.
If you've read the book, you understand.
And if you find a book that makes you feel this way, listen.
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Grief, Mental illness, Death, and Self harm
Moderate: Drug abuse, Body horror, Car accident, Drug use, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Addiction, Animal death, Confinement, Blood, Bullying, Alcohol, and Animal cruelty
hail_archangel's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, and Mental illness
Moderate: Drug abuse, Self harm, Alcoholism, and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Bullying, Rape, and Blood
livcashmere's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Moderate: Addiction, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Bullying, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
gabbyreynolds's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Grief, Mental illness, Death of parent, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
grommit's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Violence, Blood, Mental illness, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Self harm and Grief
warning_about_sophie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Dementia, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Self harm, and Abandonment
Minor: Racism and Fatphobia
augie_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Death, Self harm, Death of parent, Violence, Police brutality, Drug abuse, Forced institutionalization, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, and Grief
Minor: Sexual assault, Mass/school shootings, and Fatphobia
vonfletchington's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Grief and Mental illness
Moderate: Drug abuse
darbylacey's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
Moderate: Grief, Medical trauma, Self harm, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Addiction, Fatphobia, Forced institutionalization, and Mental illness
gentle_garbage_baby's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Grief, Mental illness, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Addiction, Violence, and Drug abuse
Minor: Sexual assault and Self harm