Reviews tagging 'Pandemic/Epidemic'

Inmitten der Nacht by Rumaan Alam

14 reviews

franklola's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Pandemic/Epidemic, Body horror, Confinement, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Alcohol, Chronic illness, and Racism

Minor: Death, Death of parent, and Grief

jessikalange's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

I struggled to finish this book and the end is so.... I get what it was trying to do but... 😒

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, Racism, and War

scarlettreadsbooks's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit and Pandemic/Epidemic

ifoundcallie's review against another edition

dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

I feel like if you read this book as a literacy fiction novel with a lens towards social commentary in America, it is stunning. The layers and layers of metaphor on discomfort and humanity—so good! The author’s craft leads readers through a sociological exercise where they is forced to grapple with what it means to be part of the human race, particularly in the context of individualism in Western culture. The fact that the author took ALL OF THAT, and weaved it within the unraveling of a literal apocalypse (of which specifics are vastly unknown)….So. Damn. Good. I had chills multiple times and ran out of ink in my highlighter. 

Very reminiscent of Stephen King, particularly “Under the Dome”. If you liked that, you’ll love this. For people SOLELY looking for a thriller or commentary on race/social class, turn elsewhere…this book intentionally subverts the expectations of those genres. 

I love how the omniscient narrator stingily portioned out information, which shamefully left me feeling the same desperate NEED for information that the book was critiquing! 

There are a few times in this book where the writing could use some trimming/adjusting towards purpose—the heavy emphasis on certain carnal images felt self-righteous and cheap for the rest of the story. Honestly, this is the only thing that keeps this book from being a “perfect” book for me. This pitfall is reminiscent of Stephen King’s writing, again, which makes sense knowing that the author reread Pet Semetary while editing this book. I can only read so many descriptions of bored and worn out married couples “tumbling into the only comfort: of flesh smacking against flesh” or teenage male characters and their detailed descriptions of “spit-in-hand, spurting release”, or adult men who are dumbstruck by their unexpected “large load of vitality and youth long gone”. I felt disappointed every time the book swung back to these tropes, faithfully. Yawn.

There are many passages/chapters in this novel that blew me away and can easily stand on their own as brilliant pieces of art. I would love to sit and analyze some of the turn-of-phrase, allusions, and imagery handpicked by this intelligent author. I was giddy with annotation, and this book rewards you for paying attention to these nuances of craft. Overall, I’m so glad I was recommended this book. It itched an “am I spiraling and paranoid or is the world ending” scratch that is often not done well. 

Bravo, Rumaan Alam.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Blood, Confinement, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Alcoholism, Alcohol, Sexual content, War, Excrement, Cursing, Vomit, Racism, and Classism

Minor: Suicide, Gore, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Medical trauma, Incest, Gun violence, Colonisation, Torture, Car accident, Child death, Misogyny, Hate crime, Genocide, Homophobia, Dementia, Cancer, Xenophobia, Violence, Religious bigotry, Lesbophobia, Fatphobia, Body shaming, and Suicide attempt

GRAPHIC dental related body horror, multiple descriptions of semen and masturbation

mlewis's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit, Sexual content, Body horror, Terminal illness, and Alcohol

Moderate: Cursing, Classism, War, Pandemic/Epidemic, Child death, and Gore

Minor: Racism

manuelte's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

• 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

This feels like a very divisive book, with a 3 star average. I loved it, however I can totally see why it may not land with others as it may well depend on your mood when you read it. Spoilers ahead:

The book is wholly centered on the internal monologues and feelings of each character, shedding light as to how each reacts to not knowing what is actually happening but feeling dread the whole time. There is no resolution, no happy ending, no clear explanation as to what is happening beyond glimpses provided by an omniscient narrator that is not bound to the linear story the characters are in.

Bottom line: come to this book expecting insight into "the human condition", not a plot-driven story.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders and Pandemic/Epidemic

eve81's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, Xenophobia, Blood, Racism, Body horror, and Gore

shehyuz's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror and Pandemic/Epidemic

kaylanoellesims's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

3.75

3.75 ⭐️ - intriguing and definitely gets you thinking - personally would have like more of a tied up ending but I guess that’s is also against the point of the book 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit

Moderate: Murder, Homophobia, Pandemic/Epidemic, Death, Alcohol, War, Racism, Medical trauma, and Medical content

kelleywithanextrae's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Blood

Minor: Vomit, Suicide, War, Cancer, Death, and Pandemic/Epidemic