Reviews tagging 'Animal death'

Eisfuchs by Tanya Tagaq

25 reviews

laurenmiller100's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

3.75

“Fear is learning to run from me. Not the other way around.”

Someone on Goodreads called this book the thorniest of roses, and I have to agree. As others have mentioned, big time trigger warnings on this. It’s vulgar, disturbing, beautiful, brutal, mysterious, magical, and deeply upsetting. Definitely a unique read, but one that I struggled with because the content is so difficult. The plot can be winding, vague, and hard to follow because it’s written as poetry. I don’t have much of a mind for poetry even though I love it, so I don’t know that I really followed all the events of this story. That said, what did make a huge impact on me is the feeling that Tagaq is trying to get across. The ending is beautiful and horrible. Tragic and disquieting. I am glad I read it, and I hope to never read it again.

“We are reverberations of our ancestors and songs of our present selves. It is very quiet in the future as it is in the deep past. The quiet. We always live among the dead. It’s scary but the quiet is our true home. This is why we must make the most of our gristle and meat. We must celebrate being harnessed into our bodies. We are a product of the immense torque that propels this universe. We are not individuals but an accumulation of all that lived before.”

• Characters: 6
• Atmosphere/Setting: 10
• Writing Style: 8
• Plot: 7
• Intrigue: 8
• Logic/Relationships: 4
• Enjoyment: 2

6.2/10 = 3.75 stars

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Body horror, Sexual content, Murder, Pregnancy, Child abuse, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, Drug use, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual harassment, and Suicide

Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, and Alcohol

Descriptions are extremely graphic and disturbing.

kodi_rae's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective 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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Part autobiography, part narrative fiction, part magical realism, etc. with some tough themes about SA, trauma, etc. One of the things that makes “Split Tooth” beautiful is the way Tagaq talks about the environment, animal spirits, the northern lights, etc. and how it ties into the narrative and cultural beliefs and practices. I read in other reviews that if you listen to the audiobook she narrates it herself and incorporates throat singing between each section which I imagine would lend itself to a whole new, raw experience. I think it would be worth revisiting. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Rape, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Child death, Colonisation, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Body horror, Drug use, Murder, Suicide attempt, Grief, Blood, Violence, and Animal death

Minor: Death, Terminal illness, Self harm, and Domestic abuse

livelaughlesbian99's review against another edition

5.0

Read the audiobook with Tanya Tagaq as narrator. She is FANTASTIC.

This book is INCREDIBLY dark. If there is ANYTHING that will cause you severe distress while reading I recommend reviewing content warnings online… there are a lot which apply here. Split Tooth doesn’t shy away from the disgusting or the horrifying. There is a lot of abuse happening. However, Split Tooth also captures the beauty of the arctic and folkloric fantasy. I really enjoyed it. I’m disappointed it’s Tanya Tagaq’s only book!

If you read meet the story on its own terms. It has lots to say.


CW: Includes light spoilers. Specifics to help you prepare if you’re concerned. I have accurately tagged in my review below every content warning which applies to the text. There are more than pop up on the general page!

Most graphic stuff: pedophile teacher committing assault, one graphic rape scene, sex happening with child in the room, infanticide, forced pregnancy, a lot of details about pregnancy, hunting causing animal death, children witnessing domestic abuse, self harm via cutting, suicidal ideation and attempt

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Rape, Bullying, Child abuse, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, and Suicide

Moderate: Death, Murder, Self harm, and Terminal illness

adryonsk's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Rape, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Alcoholism, Animal death, and Sexual violence

emory's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad

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

My most succinct reason for disliking this is just that it's not for me. I very much enjoyed the surrealism of the plot, but so much of the book was overshadowed by sections upon sections of what seemed to me to be trite quips trying very hard to be profound and quotable through vague generality. The sections and poems with genuine heart shone through besides, but I couldn't get past the writing, and although a goal of this book seems to be challenging notions of what is natural and sitting with that discomfort, I personally could not get past the recurring upsetting sexual imagery and motifs.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual violence, Child death, Death, Drug use, Grief, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Animal death, Bullying, Colonisation, Drug abuse, and Suicide

Minor: Vomit

A few depictions and mentions of, albeit in dreams and myth, bestiality.

emsim's review against another edition

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Drug use, Alcohol, Animal death, Rape, Sexual assault, and Bullying

nagev's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Rape, Pregnancy, Death of parent, Death, Pedophilia, Violence, Animal death, and Child abuse

Moderate: Abandonment, Addiction, Self harm, and Murder

Minor: Chronic illness and Terminal illness

vtlism's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-paced

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

4.75

Chilling, beautiful, imaginative, quotable 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Suicide, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Self harm, Rape, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Murder, Gore, Drug use, Colonisation, Child death, Child abuse, Blood, Animal death, and Alcohol

mapscitiesandsongs's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

2.75

I don't really know how to rate this, since I have the feeling that I didn't even understand half of the book. The prose was certainly interesting and beautiful. I am a bit sad that I couldn't get the audiobook. Maybe I would have enjoyed it more. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Rape, Sexual harassment, Alcoholism, Death, Drug use, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Addiction, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Animal death, and Sexual content

Moderate: Colonisation, Misogyny, and Sexism

Minor: Blood and Grief

kay_raichu's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

It's an amazing novel that manages to incorporate prose organically. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Bullying, Cancer, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Alcohol, Animal death, Death, Incest, and Suicide