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daretoread's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Cancer, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Grief, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Death of parent, Terminal illness, Bullying, Sexual violence, Death, and Infidelity
theartoflanguage's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Death, Incest, Pedophilia, Suicide, Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Cancer
pessimistically_optimist's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Terminal illness, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Vomit, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Suicide, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Cancer, Gaslighting, and Grief
kthnlb's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Sexual content, Sexism, Terminal illness, Violence, Abandonment, Vomit, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Grief, Sexual violence, Self harm, Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Death of parent, Death, Cancer, and Blood
harleyburch'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
4.0
How would they ever understand my life is more than cider? Complex than that. Fuller deeper richer. Irritation that. Something. Not as good as me in the back of my head.
When I read that this was an experimental novel, I didn't expect it to be quite so jarring. At first, I saw this as a negative; I felt as if the style was drawing me away from the characters rather than into their lives. It wasn't until the end of the novel that the grammar-less stream-of-consciousness style started to speak to me. It was this disjointed use of the language that put me at such unease. Strikingly, this book is bleak - very bleak. Our nameless narrator is subjected to terrible events that become relentless as she slowly but surely tugs us into her head. I had no idea how a book written like this without much plot could end but the ending - while still very bleak - was impressive and memorable. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone (definitely pay attention to the content warnings) but it was a challenged yet insightful experience.
Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Grief, Sexual assault, Chronic illness, Sexual content, Death of parent, Pedophilia, Religious bigotry, Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Medical content, Suicide, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, and Violence
soph1768'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
5.0
Graphic: Rape, Terminal illness, Child abuse, Incest, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Adult/minor relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Death
Moderate: Infidelity
and_abigail's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Rape, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Incest, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Suicidal thoughts
dashes101's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
As an experience: this book is maybe a 3.5 star read. Its difficult and challenging with very, very few hopeful moments. The relationship between the main character and her brother (to me) felt underdeveloped in their youth and hence the end of the book didn't have the same impact as I felt it could have had. The ending however, is beautifully written, and I really did enjoy it. I also understand the different themes the book juggled (sexuality, coming of age, and religion) but I felt like there was a lot happening all the time that wasn't really developed (?). Things just happened with no real need or reason, which is very fair because that's how life is! But it led it to be a little bland at times. I also understand the reasoning for the main character's sexuality 'growth' (not the right word) but it was extremely uncomfortable to read about.
As a piece of literature: probably 4 / 4.5 stars. I love how unique and aggressive the style is -- it draws you in and persuades you to keep reading. It's almost as if the writing is another character that improves the characters in the novel. I also commend McBride for sticking through and getting this book published after 9 years of rejections. It's definitely worth a read (IF you look through the warnings first and are in a good head space) but don't expect an easy read.
Graphic: Death, Terminal illness, Incest, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Suicide, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, and Child death
Moderate: Alcohol
yolkdevil'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: Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Child abuse, Incest, Medical trauma, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Terminal illness
bumble_abi's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Pedophilia, Rape, Vomit, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Terminal illness, Domestic abuse, Suicide, and Violence
Moderate: Cancer, Emotional abuse, and Grief
Minor: Excrement and Ableism