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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
erinmichele_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Murder, Forced institutionalization, Suicide, and Torture
killianmgov's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
—-
i was really engaged the entire time while reading this book, but i'll be honest,,, i also really was confused during it,,,,, even when it was clear that some things were being explained for me. i'm happy to read books that do not have everything explained to you--whether that be in the conclusion of the story or throughout, severance by ling ma being an example of this and one of my all time faves--but either i was not quite smart enough for this book (LOL, but seriously) or it's just a personal thing for the stylistic choices in storytelling and narration.
i will say,,, the other thing i didn't love is that this felt really close to a book that just relies on gaslighting for the twist, and while this definitely wasn't quite that,,, i think with the added points from above I would land this at a 3/5 personally
Minor: Rape, Stalking, Murder, Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicide, and Toxic relationship
annagerman's review
- 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
It was really confusing for the first third, but I actually enjoyed the mystery and speculation. I think the reveal itself was good, but the way it was done felt underwhelming.
I saw a review calling it a tilt-a-whirl manned by a lazy sadist, and there's definitely truth in that.
I don't mind the detached writing style, it fit well with the themes of the book, but I definitely think that this book could benefit from a more "traditionally" structure narrative, with some in-depth character exploration.
However I'm really intrigued by the author and surely will read more of their books in the future.
Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Murder, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Sexual violence
hue's review against another edition
1.0
Graphic: Murder, Suicide, Self harm, Rape, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
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
kavarnistka's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Domestic abuse
Moderate: Murder and Sexual harassment
woelkchen's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Sexual violence, Murder, Violence, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Mental illness
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