Reviews tagging 'Suicide'

The Book of Accidents by Chuck Wendig

14 reviews

literatureleaf's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

Reading time: 8 days
 
Difficulty level: 2.5/5
 
Rating: 3/5

 
Nathan, a devoted father and workworn city cop, Maddie, a passionate artist and doting mother, and Oliver, their big-hearted, if somewhat unusual, teenage son appear to be a normal, loving family. Yet, underneath this picturesque exterior, secrets lurk. Nathan is holding back the abuse he experienced at the hands of his father, Maddie is desperately seeking answers for the gaps in her childhood memories, and Oliver may just be a little more different than his parents bargained for.
 
When Nathan’s father dies and leaves his childhood house to him in the will, he moves his family to his hometown. As they settle in, Nathan sees things that aren’t there, Maddie loses chunks of time, and Oliver finds an unlikely friend in a neighborhood boy who appears to have secrets of his own.  As the strange occurrences pile up, Nathan and Maddie realize that sinister forces are working against their family, and the key to stopping it may just lie in the truths that they’ve spent their lives running from.
 
Like a Russian nesting doll, The Book of Accidents unveils the grander horror through interconnected bits and pieces that slowly come together to form the bigger picture. Invoking intense dread and unease in the reader as the sense that something is very wrong becomes clearer, you will be screaming at the characters, hoping against all hope to warn them that something bad is coming.
 
A tour-de-force in in the utilization of horror as a vehicle for exploring grief, generational trauma, and interfamilial relationships, The Book of Accidents doesn’t hold back from examining the gritty, uncomfortable details surrounding the seedy underbelly of domestic life that humanity shies away from. Shining a spotlight on the darkest corners of love, empathy, and family, Wendig excels at reminding the reader that the world is far from a peaceful place, even in your own backyard.
 
Despite the emotional magnitude that lingers amongst the pages, the character depth that is needed for a book of this caliber to feel complete is missing. The cast feels too similar to one another in all the ways that matter, and the everyday family dynamics are stilted and unnatural, lending to the feeling of never quite being able to forget that you’re reading a story about fictional people and are not actively enmeshed in the horrors that they’re going through.
 
Wendig’s talent shines through in his plot and pacing, but he suffers from a lack of direction. At times he zeroes in on vivid imagery, beautiful scenery, and the intensity of the emotions his characters are experiencing, which paints an intricate, palpable picture. However, there are other instances where he attempts to use humor or pop culture references as comic relief, which falls flat, creating the impression that he is undercutting his own writing and cheapening the story. 
 
An intense probe into how our childhoods impact who we grow into, and how that affects our own children, and then their children later down the line, The Book of Accidents serves as a stark reminder that we are not what happened to us, but rather who we choose to become. Lingering long after the final page is closed, this book shows us that, through empathy, healing, and love, we have the power to overcome our trauma and be better than those who came before us

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Violence, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Murder, Blood, Emotional abuse, and Bullying

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Death of parent, and Cursing

Minor: Addiction, Suicide attempt, Body horror, Suicide, and Mass/school shootings

aparker89's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Chronic illness, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Grief, Gun violence, Self harm, Sexual assault, Stalking, Addiction, Body horror, Dementia, Drug abuse, Drug use, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Blood, Bullying, Cancer, Child death, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Torture, Toxic friendship, Violence, Vomit, Classism, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Mental illness, Rape, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

gracefulege's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad 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? It's complicated

4.0

I was skeptical at the start about how the story could possibly lull me into successfully suspending my levels of disbelief, however, with every new chapter I found myself buying each new layer of the story. I came to love the characters, their powers, and their narrative arches, all whilst enjoying the oneness of the book itself. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Vomit, Bullying, Blood, Violence, Murder, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Torture

Moderate: Suicide

annemariemulksibb's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Even in expecting this book to be weird, I was perpetually surprised by what happened. I don't even know what else to say, but I really liked it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Murder, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Death

Minor: Mass/school shootings, Suicide, and Vomit

ladygray_'s review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Suicide, Child death, Body horror, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Emotional abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Kidnapping, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Toxic friendship

michelles_book_nook's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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

3.0

⚠️ CW: death, murder, child abuse, domestic violence, alcoholism, cannibalism, suicide, brief mentions of school shootings and sexual abuse ⚠️ Well this book was definitely one that flipped my brain upside down and inside out. This book follows the Graves family and their return to Nate's rural childhood home in Pennsylvania upon the death of his father who left him the house in his will. Now married to his wife, Maddie, along with their son, Oliver, all they want is some peace from city living but as they return their dark pasts come back to haunt them as supernatural happenings start taking place and a sinister battle of good versus evil comes knocking at their door. This book was a good read that makes you question all of the little things that happen in your life as it takes you on a sci-fi/occult twisting journey throughout generations and timelines in a mind melting rollercoaster ride, but it is so hard to review without giving spoilers. While the plot of this book was really interesting I struggled to follow it at times because there was just so much going on. Also throughout I found the pacing was quite off and went from being fast and page turning to slow and drawn out and due to this I think it made the end feel really rushed. Overall, I enjoyed this read and if you're looking for a intensely deep, twisting and terrifying horror then I definitely recommend picking up this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Suicide, Murder, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Mass/school shootings and Sexual assault

cait_reads_and_drinks's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Murder, and Bullying

Moderate: Animal death

Minor: Suicide attempt and Suicide

batcaves's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Car accident, Cursing, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Suicide, Torture, Cannibalism, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic relationship, and Violence

theoreads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional fast-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Blood, Gore, and Bullying

Moderate: Cannibalism, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Child abuse

kimberlyswalters's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful fast-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

4.75

I did really enjoy this book, but I did feel that it was a tad predictable (which sounds like a lie because this story was off the rails, but some plot twists weren't so twisty). I did love all of the characters and that they cursed and thought things through pretty rationally. For such a wild ride, the characters felt grounded in reality and it made the story much more enjoyable. It was a good read and I'd definitely recommend it to a friend if I had any that read. 

My least favorite thing about this book was that it ended too happily. I don't like when books dangle so much doom and gloom in my face, but then everything turns out pretty okay. I am glad that Fig was okay though.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Mass/school shootings, Physical abuse, Toxic friendship, Violence, Body horror, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, and Death of parent

Moderate: Alcohol, Suicide, Car accident, Cancer, Drug use, Police brutality, Alcoholism, Terminal illness, Torture, Blood, and Child death

Minor: Fatphobia, Dementia, and Excrement