Reviews tagging 'Homophobia'

McGlue by Ottessa Moshfegh

66 reviews

inhaledmocha's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I genuinely have no words for how I feel about this book. 

The way it's written you really get inside the head of a very very sick person for a short amount of time. It was worth reading (I got through it in one sitting so that says something) but I am truly depressed and now I need to touch grass and cry.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Suicide attempt, Vomit, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Sexism, and Self harm

Moderate: Child death and Violence

kutreen's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.25

I picked this up because I have been hearing a lot about this author but thought that reading My Year of Rest and Relaxation would sink me deeper into depression. 

Damn! I'm really impressed by Moshfegh. She reeled me into the drunken stupor/brain damaged/denial-stage-of-grief cloudiness of McGlue's mind without getting too abstract or confusing. McGlue is in and out of consciousness as memories from his time spent with the man he allegedly killed (but had a quite vulnerable brother-like bond--which you can guess what that means when it's between two sailors in the 1850s) intermix with memories from his poor and emotionally neglected childhood, intermix with him currently trying to process his situation as he awaits trial while withdrawing from alcoholism and having a huge untreated gash in his head. We can empathize with McGlue's pain much more than he could allow himself to at that time. 

The most unpalatable parts for me were the ways McGlue referred to gay men, women, and black people, but I suppose it's true to how a man like that at that time would have referred to them.

Looking back not sure I could get through this if I was more emotionally vulnerable right now, but luckily it was a quick read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism

Moderate: Vomit, Grief, Homophobia, Biphobia, Confinement, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Racial slurs, Sexual content, Murder, Child death, and Sexual harassment

lilrainbow's review against another edition

dark funny reflective fast-paced

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

3.5

Otessa Moshfegh is so willing to make nasty interesting characters and it’s so readable. Incredible respect 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicidal thoughts, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexism, Racism, and Homophobia

teaselkie's review against another edition

dark reflective slow-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Homophobia, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Racial slurs

avern's review against another edition

dark reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism

Moderate: Homophobia and Racial slurs

amynoelle's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction and Alcoholism

Moderate: Homophobia and Racial slurs

alexandrabelze's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-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? Yes

2.25

look, i love otessa moshfegh’s writing style, but i can’t looks past the recurrent use of slurs throughout the book. it would be different if they only appeared every once in a while, but there were times when there were 3+ slurs on a single page. and i didn’t fuck with that. i understand what she was trying to pull off with the narrator, but it was too extreme. i love a good unlikeable or unreliable narrator—if done right. mcglue was not done right. it could’ve been done right if it had been written as “gay pirates with internalized homophobia learn to love each other and themselves.” sadly, i would instead describe this as “the narrator drops the f slur and racist comments every ten sentences while pining for another man.” disappointment.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Alcoholism, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Cursing, Racism, Racial slurs, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Vomit, Blood, Confinement, Homophobia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Body horror

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Violence

Minor: Sexual content, Child abuse, Sexual harassment, Child death, Rape, Murder, and Slavery

anpaul98's review against another edition

adventurous reflective sad 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? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, and Homophobia

abibliophagist's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

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

5.0

Slow start, but kept the tense vibe I come to expect from Moshfegh. The second half hit me like a ton of bricks, and left me in tears. 

  I love pretty much everything I've read my Moshfegh, and I was so suprised how this one skyrocketed to the top of the list for me. More in line with Lapvona and her short stories than Eileen and MYRR

Yes there are a lot of slurs, the character is an alcoholic, uneducated, garbage pale of a man in the 1850s. It was hard to read these at times, but at no point did it feel like a mistep by the author, but instead help aid in us disliking the character quickly. Racial slurs and homophobic slurs, which makes the fact that the character is struggling with his own sexuality even more poignant. 

However if that's something as a reader you have a hard time with, even if it's period accurate and aids to the character study of self loathing, I would skip this one, cause it is.. a lot.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Gore, and Homophobia

youngluteplayer's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-paced

• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Homophobia, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Alcoholism, Alcohol, and Addiction