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pkatrinaanne's review
- 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
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Emotional abuse, Rape, Death, Bullying, Mental illness, Suicide, Child death, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Physical abuse
meganlamming's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, and Torture
kibernick's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Death, Mental illness, Torture, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Stalking, and Violence
othersociologist's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Suicide
Moderate: Physical abuse and Child abuse
Minor: Incest
ladawson's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Child death, Medical trauma, Addiction, Sexual content, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Grief
etyoung64's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Without getting into too much spoiler territory the story asks the question: what does it take to transform a seemingly normal person into a killer and could it be something so simple as a mere suggestion? Let those sink in for a second and that's all I'm going to say about the overall theme of the book. Those are the questions the author challenges the reader with from the very get go. I nearly finished the book in one sitting (I started it Tuesday after I bought it and finished tonight a few minutes ago), that's how engrossing and fascinating I thought the story was. Nakamura doesn't bog down the pace of the book with a lot of graphic/gruesome details and for me it didn't need it. Much of the worst violence is implied but not overly graphic. I think if he did that it would detract greatly from the tension the author wanted to instill in the reader as you went along.
I don't remember reading a book like this, or it's been a while. It's so unique. Maybe the one that would come closest would be Zombie by Joyce Carol Oates, which was an awesome book as well, but what My Annihilation didn't give details to and the author didn't want to bludgeon the reader with, Zombie holds nothing back in the violent details and it makes for a more frightening (and in some cases, sickening) read. But what Nakamura was going for in his book was a more cerebral story in concept and execution, and his execution was brilliant. The ideas and themes that Nakamura wanted to address in this book, taken from the afterword: "Questions about what it means to be human, and what it means to exist in the world, are central to me and in this book, I wound up exploring these questions at length".
I believe "your mileage may vary" on whether he succeeded in his task, but I believe he did. I'm still feeling struck by what I read and it was a wild, strange and, in the end, an emotional roller coaster ride.
Graphic: Drug use, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Medical content, Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Sexual content, and Physical abuse
Minor: Death of parent
What I mentioned above in the graphic section are in the book and for me, the author gives only enough information to service the plot of the book. This is a psychological crime novel and themes of violence and abuse will be included in order to establish criminality/criminology or the reasons criminals do what they do, and in my opinion it's done not to shock or exploit the characters or topics of mental illness, but do it in a matter of fact way, from the character's POV. The book mentions