Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

Bolla by Pajtim Statovci

11 reviews

thewoodlandbookshelf's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective tense 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Death, Deportation, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Incest, Medical content, Rape, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Homophobia, Racism, War, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, and Violence

Minor: Racial slurs

hughesie's review

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness

Moderate: Rape, Violence, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Adult/minor relationship, Injury/Injury detail, War, Infidelity, Sexual assault, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Animal death, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, and Genocide

leahb88's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.75

The writing in this book was so gorgeous I underlined so many good quotes. I love reading from an unlikeable main character and Arsim takes the cake he was truly cruel. It was like following him throughout his life and watching the destruction unfold behind him. It was so interesting how he tied it to mythology. I was slightly confused about it at the beginning but it all made sense by the end. The way that this book ended was so heartbreaking but so perfect. DEFINITELY check the TW.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fatphobia, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Violence, Child abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Homophobia, Rape, Pedophilia, War, Genocide, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, and Body shaming

harrydaylight's review against another edition

3.75

I’m having such a hard time reviewing this book, or even rating it. 3.75 stars doesn’t feel right, but neither does any other rating.
As a Kosovo albanian, this book is so fucking difficult to read. I really don’t know what I was expecting when I first started it, but not that. 
It’s so incredibly depressing. And the main character is so unbelievably cruel, like I legit don’t have any words for him. 
What a dark, dark novel with such a haunting ending.
But it’s written so well, and it was hard to put the book down, even if it upset me at times. There’s something so tangible about the way this story is written, like I could reach out and touch it and know exactly what streets are being described, the people, the feelings, the depression and the awfulness of the war here, the aftermath. 
I wish it wasn’t this fucking sad though, but it’s a very realistic book and I can’t take that away from it. 
I don’t think I’ll ever reread this, but I’m glad to have read it. I know it’ll stay with me for a long time. 
Definitely go through the TWs for this one, it’s so heavy at times.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Rape, Violence, Genocide, Forced institutionalization, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Infidelity, Murder, Mental illness, Death, Gore, Abandonment, Homophobia, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Fatphobia, and Body shaming

Minor: Animal death and Vomit

happyknitter2020's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.0

So sad, hard to put into words. Tragic insight to others' experiences in our same, but so different, world.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Torture, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Rape, Violence, War, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Grief, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical trauma

eevi_222's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-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? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, War, Toxic relationship, and Adult/minor relationship

Moderate: Mental illness, Racism, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Eating disorder, Physical abuse, and Violence

Minor: Rape and Incest

emilistevenson's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Death, Blood, War, Genocide, Mental illness, and Violence

Minor: Mass/school shootings and Police brutality

julied's review against another edition

dark sad medium-paced

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

1.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual content, Child abuse, Infidelity, and Mental illness

leeez's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

2.5

This shit was DISMAL. I hated/pitied every character in the book. Overall good writing, but you gotta be in the mood for it. Rated on my enjoyment of the book, not how good/bad it was. Read in 3 hours.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Homophobia, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, and Suicidal thoughts

aurinkotuulia's review against another edition

challenging dark tense 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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Forced institutionalization, Incest, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Sexual content, and Violence

Moderate: Mental illness, Pregnancy, Suicide, Toxic relationship, War, and Xenophobia

Minor: Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Abandonment, Animal death, and Blood