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bi_n_large's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Miscarriage, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Drug use, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Violence, Murder, Gore, and Mental illness
starrysteph's review
- 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
4.0
The setup is an unassuming tale of domestic dysfunction, though it soon elevates and spirals into the realm of horror. We follow Rob, an English teacher & mother struggling with her deeply unstable family. Her husband Irving is abusive and dangerous, her older daughter Callie has been acting strange, and her younger daughter Annie is sweet and frail.
Callie has begun to display some peculiar & disturbing behavior - she's collecting and displaying animal bones, talking to imaginary creatures, and may wish to harm her little sister. Rob feels she must take action and flees with Callie to Sundial - her family's compound in the Mojave desert - in an attempt to improve their bond and understand Callie's behavior. (Irving wholeheartedly disagrees.)
Once they arrive, the plot expands in a flash and Rob's tumultuous history is slowly revealed. As dark secrets come to light, Rob knows she's at a critical decision point for her family's safety.
We as readers are constantly being manipulated, tossed back and forth by the unreliability of the characters’ minds. Catriona Ward is skilled at sharing little specific moments that illuminate the core of a person (thinking of the French restaurant scene here). Though are a lot of plot threads, it is overall a straightforward story.
The setting is excellent - you feel the grittiness and expansiveness of the desert. The depiction of the Sundial compound is also really well done; I could picture every part of it.
One of the big thematic questions is nature vs nurture, specifically in regards to violent impulses . Some of the characters tackle this through extreme medical experimentation (huge trigger warning for animal cruelty & death, specifically with dogs). Though many of the actual instances of cruelty happen "offscreen", please be wary if you are sensitive to depictions of animal harm.
Overall - I enjoyed Sundial (if enjoyed is even the right word to describe the experience). I'll be chewing on these concepts for a while (I have some THEORIES!).
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Gaslighting, Gore, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Infidelity, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Violence
nisima's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Torture, Kidnapping, Confinement, Animal death, Violence, Child abuse, Child death, and Death
Moderate: Infidelity, Medical content, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Abortion
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
Much of the plot and setting revolves around animal experimentation specifically on dogs and a coyote. Things go horribly wrong, and the premise of the experimentation is debateably ableist. The rest of the plot and setting basically revolve around a woman escaping a deeply abusive relationship, and worries that one of her two daughters might be a serial killer. There are multiple violent confrontations. The end is happy but may be too ambiguous for some given the tension.beccam22's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Animal death and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Confinement, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy
cyanide_latte's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Blood, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Vomit, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Gore, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Toxic relationship, Self harm, Violence, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Body horror, Drug use, Abandonment, Child death, Confinement, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Drug abuse
bumblebeefarts's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Blood, Mental illness, Child death, Torture, Physical abuse, Miscarriage, Death, Death of parent, Murder, Violence, and Animal death
Moderate: Child abuse and Sexual violence
vixenreader's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
Graphic: Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Violence, Animal cruelty, Blood, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, and Self harm
Moderate: Alcohol, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, and Kidnapping
Minor: Gaslighting
If you are afraid of dogs, this book will prove to be quite triggering. Plus no one likes when the dog dies.mfallon3491's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Blood, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Torture, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Suicide attempt, Violence, Gaslighting, and Gore
cassieloo2's review
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Animal death
Moderate: Child abuse and Child death
travelseatsreads's review against another edition
- 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
Ward has an innate ability to completely engulf the reader within her writing and immediately the darkness and unease begins to claw it's way out of the pages from the very first chapter. There are so many layers within this story that it would be easy for a reader to get lost among them but Catriona harrowingly and flawlessly ensures every single enmeshed strand has a place and a purpose.
The story is told with alternating POV's and dual timelines which works perfectly to ensure the reader is left hanging on every word waiting for that gnawing tension to subside (spoiler alert, it doesn't).
I can't write this review without mentioning trigger warnings as frankly this book in itself is almost one. There are large sections to do with animal deaths and experiments on dogs. To be honest, this is normally a hard no for me and I will often DNF a book with animal abuse but to be fair none of it appeared gratuitous or overly descriptive so while it took me aback it wasn't overly distressing. There are also many mentions of multiple forms of abuse (adult, child, physical and emotional), mental illness, pregnancy, infant death, self harm and suicidality.
Overall, Sundial is an engrossing, dark, sinister and twisted psychological horror meets thriller which will send shivers up your spine and leave you haunted for some time to come.
Graphic: Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Drug abuse, Toxic relationship, Blood, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Violence