Reviews tagging 'Forced institutionalization'

The September House by Carissa Orlando

29 reviews

mrsbliss's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Gore, Body horror, Child death, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Suicide

micallab's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Blood, Death, Violence, Vomit, and Child death

Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Forced institutionalization

linora's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

This book made me laugh out loud and made me cry. It was written beautifully and I have a feeling that I will be thinking about it for a long time. 

I'm debated between giving it 4.75 and 5 stars, and decided to upgrade it to 5 stars because of a few scenes that were written with such care and understanding while still maintaining their humor. I do think the metaphor weakened towards the end as the plot transitioned into more traditional horror, but I loved it anyway

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Abandonment, Gaslighting, Self harm, Death of parent, Gun violence, Misogyny, Murder, Stalking, Torture, Vomit, Chronic illness, Confinement, Gore, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Forced institutionalization, Panic attacks/disorders, Dementia, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Grief, Toxic relationship, and Domestic abuse

izypup's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I love when women 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Blood, Gore, Murder, Child death, Body horror, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Death of parent, and Violence

Moderate: Suicide, Alcoholism, Mental illness, Addiction, Confinement, Death of parent, Cannibalism, Animal death, Torture, Vomit, and Alcohol

Minor: Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Pregnancy, Panic attacks/disorders, Religious bigotry, Self harm, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

priscillarobock's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense 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? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Murder, Violence, Alcohol, Death, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Self harm, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Medical trauma, Gun violence, Torture, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, Vomit, Blood, and Body horror

alicevoyager's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Being in a haunted house is the least difficult thing this woman has been through. I love that we come in 4 years into her living in this house. She's frustrating at times, but she's a whole ass character.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Child death, Alcoholism, Mental illness, and Murder

Moderate: Gaslighting and Suicide

Minor: Forced institutionalization and Self harm

katie316says's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

I really wasn’t sure what to expect when I started reading this book, as I find that haunted house stories tend to be very hit or miss for me. However, this book ended up being a major hit for me, and was a scary haunted house book but also made me very emotional at the end. 

I also really loved how this book tackled the themes of

cyclical and generational abuse, trauma, and mental illness

. On top of just being a really good supernatural story, I think it did a fantastic job metaphorically as well.

Major Spoilers:

About halfway through this book, I began to worry that it was going to be another “it was all in her head” cop out, and for a moment it really looked like it was going to be. So I was really thrilled that it ended up not doing that. I also think the author did a great job with imagery, and I think I’m going to be thinking about those scary little pointing children for awhile.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Gore, Child abuse, Physical abuse, and Murder

Minor: Forced institutionalization, Fire/Fire injury, Alcoholism, Animal death, and Blood

heartofhorrors's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Murder, Animal death, Death of parent, Blood, Physical abuse, Vomit, Body horror, Child death, Cursing, Death, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Gore, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Forced institutionalization, Torture, Gaslighting, Grief, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, and Emotional abuse

ehmannky's review against another edition

dark emotional medium-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

4.25

This book was simultaneously more funny and emotional than I thought it would be. Margaret is such a wonderful main character and I really enjoyed experiencing a haunted house through the eyes of someone who simply refuses to leave. It starts out with some grim humor regarding the hauntings in her house (that start really kicking up in September) and then the humor is slowly replaced with more horror regarding the house and Margaret's past.

This book parallels her own relationship with her abusive husband with that of her ability to put up with the house and it the revelation of how each parallels the other unfolds so well

. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Murder, Vomit, Domestic abuse, Death, Death of parent, Violence, and Child death

Moderate: Mental illness, Alcoholism, and Forced institutionalization

Minor: Suicide

livlamentloathe's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

4.0

I really enjoyed this! It reminded me a bit of A House with Good Bones. Similar levels of denial present in both protagonists, but beyond that, it was definitely a different sort of haunting…

Margaret is the best sort of Final Girl. Moral of the story? Don’t involve the cops.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood

Moderate: Gaslighting, Alcoholism, Murder, Death, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Violence, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Forced institutionalization and Suicide