Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Skim by Mariko Tamaki

13 reviews

steveatwaywords's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

• 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

4.0

Skim is a story of young women and misunderstanding, of challenges to compassion and walls against love, of the gulfs between death and alienation, of all of us stumbling ahead nonetheless. Insecurity is near the heart of Tamaki's characters who casually lash out and judge the behaviors of difference, but it is an insecurity nonetheless paired with longing. There is no clear path to love, and tentative overtures are as likely to be lost as tragically fulfilled.

While the stark black and white illustration work complements the bleakness of the story and the divisions between characters, I wondered at points whether greyer tones might better represent the quiet quests of these students against the public performative nonsense the mainstream offers.

Tamaki takes on the misunderstandings we have as people, not merely adolescents, around our discussions of suicide, of enmity, of community. And we must not expect pat or final answers to any of it; quite the opposite. We just keep moving forward as best we can.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Self harm, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Suicide, and Fatphobia

There is no graphic depiction of harm, death, or sexual situations, but these questions dominate the plot.

peachani's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective slow-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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Homophobia, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Racism, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Suicide attempt, Child death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Outing, Pedophilia, and Suicide

duriancake's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book was refreshing to read and was something I'm so glad I picked up! The art was beautiful and was a beautiful heartfelt story about growing up and loss. Initially, I was unsure about what to expect from this book after reading Amazon reviews since some seemed to come off that the book was romanticizing adult/minor relationships but I felt that the narrative was designed to show it wasn't a good thing even if it didn't say it explicitly. Race isn't a major topic in the book but it also had a moment that reaffirmed ones I had growing up Asian in a pwi and was nice to see incorporated into the story.

The ending was hopeful and had Skim finding her own way by

leaving behind a toxic relationship and a toxic friendship for Katie Matthews who unexpectedly befriends her and is hinted to end up with Skim.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Death, and Grief

pabi's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

perfectly captures how pretentious, insufferable and weird I felt in high school (probably on most days I was). 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Grief, Lesbophobia, Mental illness, Self harm, Toxic friendship, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Body shaming, Adult/minor relationship, Biphobia, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Bullying, and Fatphobia

witchofthemountains's review against another edition

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Homophobia, Death, Cursing, Body shaming, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Fatphobia, Adult/minor relationship, Ableism, Toxic friendship, Racism, Lesbophobia, Grief, and Bullying

siriface's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Death, and Suicide

Moderate: Racism and Body shaming

Minor: Pedophilia

itsjadenbaby's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-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

2.5

This was a very quick read. Lots of triggers but an honest portrayal of how it may feel to be young and not know what’s going on.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Adult/minor relationship, Suicide attempt, Self harm, Suicide, Mental illness, and Grief

Moderate: Body shaming, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Bullying, Toxic friendship, Xenophobia, and Racism

Minor: Injury/Injury detail and Alcoholism

theplaguedoctorreads's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship

Moderate: Grief, Mental illness, and Suicide

anniefwrites's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

I really, really enjoyed this. It feels like My So-Called Life (which I love) meets The Craft (which I haven't seen, but I feel like I get the vibe.) I love the subtlety of both the art and the text. It would be sort of hard to explain what the plot is, but I really understand the character's inner journey, which is my favorite kind of book. Finding your ways between the poles of ignorance and nihilism in your teens is no small subject matter, but Mariko and Jillian Tamaki really nail it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Grief, Suicide, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Fatphobia, Homophobia, and Injury/Injury detail

jon_eb's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• 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? N/A

4.0

This was a really cool and short graphic novel to read in between other books. It's one of the select few I've read this year and I enjoyed it quite a lot. It deals with heavy subjects like suicide, grief, loss and depression, and teenage emotions and  trying to navigate all these feelings in high school. 

It was a very relatable read for me and only got better towards the end. It had these little things I liked in the writing which made me smile alot. The writing style, narrated in this sort of diary format I enjoyed also. The portrayal of teenagers in high school and how they behaved was very accurate I'd say.  Our main character's depression and everything she was feeling and trying to understand was very believable and relatable as I have felt and still feel alot of similar things also. This was quite a solid read and I really enjoyed it. Would highly recommend. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide and Grief