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redingtonjm's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. This book is.....I struggle to find the words.
This book is a beautiful and thought-provoking portrayal of girlhood. Our relationships with one another; our fixations and idolizations of other girls; our complicated relationships with and perceptions of our ourselves; our desire to be seen, watched, longed for, and chosen; and even our relationships with our mothers.
It starts out narrating in first-person using "we," which I think illustrates what it is like to be a young girl. Heavily leaning on one another for a sense of identity because you have yet figured out how to develop your own sense of person.
It follows this group of young girls and their fixation on a local girl who is one year older than them. I think most of us girls can call to mind an older girl we used to watch and want to be just like.
This novel accurately depicts that longing for a life more than where one currently is. This discontentment that forms so early on in life that is becomes difficult to pinpoint its origin.
It also portrays that feeling of never wanting to be alone or left behind. Never wanting to be the odd man out. But so desperately wanting to be plucked out, told we are different, special, more.
It accurately portrays what it is like to grow up in a suffocatingly religious environment, particularly when it is accompanied by trauma and abuse of power.
The majority of this book spends its time exploring these themes, but towards the end it starts to focus back on what happened to the missing girl. And let me tell you, this is not the ending I anticipated. It was sickening and disturbing, yet so heartbreakingly beautiful in its accuracy.
I must admit there was a bit towards the ending that confused me, but I am hopeful that with a reread in the future it will make a bit more sense to me.
This book feels important. It is intensely underrated. I can't believe this book is not more popular. The lack of buzz surrounding this novel is a huge disservice. I highly recommend picking this one up.
This book is a beautiful and thought-provoking portrayal of girlhood. Our relationships with one another; our fixations and idolizations of other girls; our complicated relationships with and perceptions of our ourselves; our desire to be seen, watched, longed for, and chosen; and even our relationships with our mothers.
It starts out narrating in first-person using "we," which I think illustrates what it is like to be a young girl. Heavily leaning on one another for a sense of identity because you have yet figured out how to develop your own sense of person.
It follows this group of young girls and their fixation on a local girl who is one year older than them. I think most of us girls can call to mind an older girl we used to watch and want to be just like.
This novel accurately depicts that longing for a life more than where one currently is. This discontentment that forms so early on in life that is becomes difficult to pinpoint its origin.
It also portrays that feeling of never wanting to be alone or left behind. Never wanting to be the odd man out. But so desperately wanting to be plucked out, told we are different, special, more.
It accurately portrays what it is like to grow up in a suffocatingly religious environment, particularly when it is accompanied by trauma and abuse of power.
The majority of this book spends its time exploring these themes, but towards the end it starts to focus back on what happened to the missing girl. And let me tell you, this is not the ending I anticipated. It was sickening and disturbing, yet so heartbreakingly beautiful in its accuracy.
I must admit there was a bit towards the ending that confused me, but I am hopeful that with a reread in the future it will make a bit more sense to me.
This book feels important. It is intensely underrated. I can't believe this book is not more popular. The lack of buzz surrounding this novel is a huge disservice. I highly recommend picking this one up.
kndlllreads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
jjouzephine's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
litficangel's review against another edition
4.0
i have a feeling this is gonna stick to me like gum cuz oh man dizz tate crafted a dizzying novel. the feelings this gives you are almost swampy and sweaty, like the stench of cigarettes covered up by body mist. like being caged in wet clothes but not wanting to take them off. like popsicle juice running down your hands and forearms.
brutes is told through the conjoined perspective of a group of girls (and one queer boy who is essentially one of them) who are obsessed with sammy, a preacher’s daughter. she lives a lifestyle completely opposite to theirs from an outside perspective, and the girls’ obsession fostered because of their visceral longing for the things that sammy has that they don’t. when sammy goes missing, the keep the knowledge they have of her disappearance hidden, protecting sammy because of their vivid admiration for her.
this book was anything but grounded, and i had no idea what was happening at some parts. it was very disorienting. but i feel like that only amplifies how disoriented the girls feel in their own skins. brutes is not actually centered around the disappearance of sammy, but rather on the creature of intense desire and hideous need to be adored that lives inside each of these girls. in addition, how their obsession and trauma manifests from childhood to adulthood.
although many plot lines are left unclear, and i wished it was a bit less metaphorical at some parts, it is obvious that tate is a gifted writer and i can’t wait to see what she does with her haunting prose next. brutes is genius in the way that it’s atmospheric, raw, unpredictable, and leaves its sticky residue in your mind. it doles out its nuance quietly through mundane experiences and a lived-in setting. it combines tenderness, brutality, ambiguity and the darker facets of female emotion into an evocative little jewelry box that is nothing short of spellbinding.
if you’re looking for a fantastic, fully-fledged plot, you definitely won’t find it with this book, but it has all the vibes. if you enjoy ethel cain and succulent but also hideous soliloquies of girlhood, this is for you.
brutes is told through the conjoined perspective of a group of girls (and one queer boy who is essentially one of them) who are obsessed with sammy, a preacher’s daughter. she lives a lifestyle completely opposite to theirs from an outside perspective, and the girls’ obsession fostered because of their visceral longing for the things that sammy has that they don’t. when sammy goes missing, the keep the knowledge they have of her disappearance hidden, protecting sammy because of their vivid admiration for her.
this book was anything but grounded, and i had no idea what was happening at some parts. it was very disorienting. but i feel like that only amplifies how disoriented the girls feel in their own skins. brutes is not actually centered around the disappearance of sammy, but rather on the creature of intense desire and hideous need to be adored that lives inside each of these girls. in addition, how their obsession and trauma manifests from childhood to adulthood.
although many plot lines are left unclear, and i wished it was a bit less metaphorical at some parts, it is obvious that tate is a gifted writer and i can’t wait to see what she does with her haunting prose next. brutes is genius in the way that it’s atmospheric, raw, unpredictable, and leaves its sticky residue in your mind. it doles out its nuance quietly through mundane experiences and a lived-in setting. it combines tenderness, brutality, ambiguity and the darker facets of female emotion into an evocative little jewelry box that is nothing short of spellbinding.
if you’re looking for a fantastic, fully-fledged plot, you definitely won’t find it with this book, but it has all the vibes. if you enjoy ethel cain and succulent but also hideous soliloquies of girlhood, this is for you.
arinaski's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
lemonadelizard's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
savvylit's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
4.0
The collective perspective? Impeccable. The Central Florida setting as character? Humid and palpable. The mysteriousness and obsession? Realistic.
Brutes is a delightful book that is thematically and structurally in conversation with Eugenides' The Virgin Suicides. Teen girls are the central obsession. Readers are only allowed to get to know said girls as far as what is witnessed directly by a group of younger kids in the neighborhood; in Brutes' case, the collective witnesses are also girls themselves.
The only reason this novel isn't five stars for me is that I felt like some of the mysterious elements of this story needed to be better developed. Just when something creepy would happen or begin to happen, there was a jump in scenery. I just wanted fewer loose threads by the time I finished Brutes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Sexual violence, and Child abuse
mejie_reads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
readingwmiles's review against another edition
4.0
this might be a five star later down the line? i want to get the physical book because some of it went over my head. this perfectly captures what it’s like to grow up as a weird kid in florida with weird friends. loved it
ellabourgon's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0