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gemmascott'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
On paper, I’m the perfect audience: former classics student; working class background, elite university, but for some reason, it failed to completely hit the mark.
The prose was beautiful and the student archetypes were well constructed, as was the satire of this kind of university life. However, the first half of the book was a bit of a slog to read - very slow paced and could easily have been half as long!
Interestingly though, when I first read the book 8-9 years ago, this is the section I remembered - much more clearly than “Book 2”. What interested me most about this section was the way the characters talked about Bunny’s impending death in a sort of abstract sense, almost as though they were playing a game, as there was no real consideration of the impact of their actions, nor any sense of empathy. This may, of course, be due to the fact that the characters are horrible people, but
“Book 2” was certainly the part of the book that gripped me most, as it dealt with the aftermath of the murder and it’s impact on the perpetrators, which is as far as I know, a concept rarely explored in literature.
The various reactions of the students to the murder also speaks volumes as to their characters - while Henry is largely coded as a sociopath, the twins and Francis seem much more like highly damaged people, who have perhaps a weak moral centre, but some sense of empathy, as they each largely go “off the rails” following the murder. On the other hand, Richard, who paints himself as the most sympathetic character during the novel (even calling himself a “bystander” at one point), is largely able to move on with his life, at least outwardly. For me, this makes him one of the least empathetic characters and suggests he shares at least some characteristics with Henry - despite his purported horror at some of the events, we see very little genuine empathy or even feeling from him. Julian is also a key villain of the novel, and likely of the same mould as Henry and Richard - was Richard a social experiment in terms of allowing a working class boy to join the group, or just another vulnerable person Julian could control/isolate in order to satisfy his god complex?
In terms of my main criticisms of the book, these include the references spread throughout the novel. These gave an impression of almost an old journal article in Classical Studies, where the academics sought to prove their credentials at every possible moment (I once read an article with an entire paragraph in untranslated French, for no apparent reason), and made the book feel at once as though it was gatekeeping, and trying to flatter its readers as to their own academic prowess.
There were also some inconsistencies - Richard is suddenly proficient in Latin (despite Julian saying he won’t learn the language until next year - which I took to mean academic year), and while most of the references were “real”, from brands, to pop-stars to authors, there was an inexplicable inclusion of the “Isrami” government - if the author didn’t want to specify, just say a “Middle Eastern” government - for me a very strange and distracting choice.
I would also have liked to see the theme of class explored a little more deeply - none of the characters seem to mind Richard’s background (which they must have understood), despite their obvious distain for others of a similar socio-economic status.
Overall, an interesting book, but I wouldn’t say it completely lives up to the hype.
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Incest, Rape, Sexual content, and Murder
faeblxde's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction
Minor: Incest
emimcmanis's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Homophobia, Incest, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Classism
Moderate: Sexual content
romy_elizabeth13'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? N/A
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Suicide, Blood, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol
Moderate: Incest, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Vomit, and Classism
grace_b_3's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Suicide, Violence, Murder, and Alcohol
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Incest, and Sexual content
Minor: Homophobia and Panic attacks/disorders
mskingbean69'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Moderate: Animal death, Biphobia, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Homophobia, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Islamophobia, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
meic's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Cannibalism, Suicide attempt, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Classism
piikasmalls's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicide, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Incest, Mental illness, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Xenophobia, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Blood
seforana's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Death, Drug use, Gore, Incest, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
bookish_bry'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Incest and Classism
Minor: Sexual content