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3.45 AVERAGE
3.45 AVERAGE
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Brat is an absolute fever dream of a gothic haunted house story about grief, inheritance, parallel universes, and storytelling. Gabriel, our unreliable narrator, goes to his late father's house to begin cleaning it out when he stumbles across writings and videos from his parents that start to infiltrate and imitate his real life. Oh - and he also thinks all his skin is peeling off. I flew through this one, partially because of the short vignettes and partially because I had to figure out what the hell was going on (and I really still don't fully know!). This was immersive and self-referential and anxiety-inducing and funny and smart. Smith has a unique take on the cyclical natures of grief and creativity and how profoundly we are impacted by our families.
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
fast-paced
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Audiobook, read by the author. Some intriguing stuff but should be shorter.
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I should have given this more of a chance but if I want to experience an unlikeable cishet man, I'll simply talk to any cishet man I pass on the street.
(/hj)
(/hj)
dark
emotional
funny
fast-paced
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A difficult but impactful read for people in the midst of their own grieving process — especially for those dealing with loved ones with dementia. The feeling of losing a person you loved so much before ever really getting to know them, but not being allowed to grieve for them fully because their heart is still beating. The feeling of never being satisfied with the time that you had with them because you always will wish you had more. I think the less time you spend away from this book while reading it, the better. I think I should go visit my nan.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Drug use, Blood, Dementia, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail