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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
This books contains so much, it ends up feeling claustrophobic at times, but this is not necessarily a bad thing. The story of the haunted house is used as a platform to examine politics, the concept of gender, immigration, patriarchy, colonialism, the complexity of relationships, and probably more that I’m forgetting to include. It was a difficult book to read at times, as it contains graphic body horror, as well as voicing some toxic ideology. However, I felt invested in the characters of Alice and Ila, and wanted to keep reading to know what would happen to them.
Trigger warnings for sexual assault, antisemitism, racism, transphobia, and self-harm - the author was kind enough to also include a warning at the beginning of the book.
Trigger warnings for sexual assault, antisemitism, racism, transphobia, and self-harm - the author was kind enough to also include a warning at the beginning of the book.
challenging
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Rumfitt has such talent when it comes to describing the trans experience through a horror lens. Her book, Brainwryms was incredible and this read satiated my itch for uncomfortable, political, queer horror. A note to readers to take the TW at the beginning of the book seriously.
Oh how I hope the author would've given some of the chapters just one more round of editing. Or maybe even two.
I read Rumfitt's Brainwyrms before Tell Me I'm Worthless and honestly, TMIW just feels more like an earlier take of Brainwyrms and less like a complete and unique piece of fiction.
As a massive fan of The Haunting of Hill House, reframing the "haunted house" trope as a metaphor/embodiment of fascism feels to me like a very clever idea, not blasphemy. However this needs a more subtle approach to reach the reader on an emotional level, just as Shirley Jackson does with handling the theme of traumas in Hill House.
I feel like some of the sexual violence in this book did not have any meaning and/or didn't really contribute in the plot. (Not spoiling anything.) I don't shun away from horror stories with graphic violence but there should be more to it than just shock value.
Even if TMIW feels a bit incomplete, Brainwyrms is one of the best books I've read this year. I'm glad Rumfitt wrote more about transphobia, TERFs, fascism and such topics in that novel. Brainwyrms *showed* what TMIW only *told*.
The ending of TMIW is already looking a lot more like Brainwyrms. Rumfitt writes these brilliant, feverish, unhinged chapters in which she is really *showing* what's inside the characters. Literally, too. But the unhingedness should've begun already in the first pages of the novel; I was not immediately hooked or horrified. (And I'm comparing this experience to reading Brainwyrms, which was a really intense one – even if it is a bit unfair to compare an author's earlier piece of fiction to her more recent one.)
Even though I'm giving TMIW only three stars and saying I expected more, I'm so, so glad Rumfitt got to kind of revise the best part of this novel in Brainwyrms. Since her books are getting progessively better, I can't wait for her next novel!
I read Rumfitt's Brainwyrms before Tell Me I'm Worthless and honestly, TMIW just feels more like an earlier take of Brainwyrms and less like a complete and unique piece of fiction.
As a massive fan of The Haunting of Hill House, reframing the "haunted house" trope as a metaphor/embodiment of fascism feels to me like a very clever idea, not blasphemy. However this needs a more subtle approach to reach the reader on an emotional level, just as Shirley Jackson does with handling the theme of traumas in Hill House.
I feel like some of the sexual violence in this book did not have any meaning and/or didn't really contribute in the plot. (Not spoiling anything.) I don't shun away from horror stories with graphic violence but there should be more to it than just shock value.
Even if TMIW feels a bit incomplete, Brainwyrms is one of the best books I've read this year. I'm glad Rumfitt wrote more about transphobia, TERFs, fascism and such topics in that novel. Brainwyrms *showed* what TMIW only *told*.
The ending of TMIW is already looking a lot more like Brainwyrms. Rumfitt writes these brilliant, feverish, unhinged chapters in which she is really *showing* what's inside the characters. Literally, too. But the unhingedness should've begun already in the first pages of the novel; I was not immediately hooked or horrified. (And I'm comparing this experience to reading Brainwyrms, which was a really intense one – even if it is a bit unfair to compare an author's earlier piece of fiction to her more recent one.)
Even though I'm giving TMIW only three stars and saying I expected more, I'm so, so glad Rumfitt got to kind of revise the best part of this novel in Brainwyrms. Since her books are getting progessively better, I can't wait for her next novel!
Alice, Ila, and Hannah venture into a haunted house one day, but Hannah never makes it out. While not scary in the typical sense, it's own way this book is horrifying as it addresses the dark side of human nature, touching on xenophobia, transphobia, and sexual violence. I understand the point the author was trying to make and see how it can appeal to others, but I prefer more traditional horror as an escape from the very real evil we see day to day.
a queer haunted house story full of metaphors is something that would normally be right up my alley- however I felt so disappointed by parts of this book. I think it had so much potential to be a deeply interesting and compelling story. I have no issues whatsoever with a deeply politicized ghost story, and a novel where our haunted house is a metaphor for fascism, trauma, and complicity could be fantastic. howeverrrr I have thoughts!
as other reviewers have pointed out, it just feels like rumfitt has about zero trust in her readers to understand the metaphor- she spells it out as clearly as she can from pretty early in the book. it's straightforwardly fed to us so much that by the time we get to the climax scenes (like hannah's chapter which I honestly loved parts of) it just falls flat. if there had been ANY amount of subtlety before the white girl gets mutilated into the shape of a swastika, maybe it could have felt more impactful.
I also don't necessarily want to speak too negatively about the gratuitous violence or general sexual imagery as an inherit bad thing. I'm definitely not a horror/slasher buff, but I can understand the value that including those things can bring to a story. especially considering the author is not just some dude who's trying to win the splatterpunk edgy author olympics: rumfitt is a trans woman living in the UK during a terrifying time to be one. I have no doubts alice is somewhat of a self insert character and the events in the story pull from rumfitt's own life. however, I feel similarly about this book as I do other horror novels I've read: I think it's hard to find all those things worth it when you don't also have the payoff of genuinely good prose and writing. you can only read so many slurs and rape scenes before it doesn't even feel meaningful anymore.
I really do think there is a version of this book that I absolutely love. there are a lot of things rumfitt does well. I enjoyed many of the house scenes, and there's some really great frightening tension and atmosphere that can be hard to achieve in writing. queer stories should be told even if they're fucked up. mixing gender and queer sexuality with horror in an uncensored, grimy way should and can be incredibly effective. but overall this book just feels like it falls short in many ways; it almost feels like an early draft. the ending feels rushed and unfinished. I want more books like this, just done.... better?
as other reviewers have pointed out, it just feels like rumfitt has about zero trust in her readers to understand the metaphor- she spells it out as clearly as she can from pretty early in the book. it's straightforwardly fed to us so much that by the time we get to the climax scenes (like hannah's chapter which I honestly loved parts of) it just falls flat. if there had been ANY amount of subtlety before the white girl gets mutilated into the shape of a swastika, maybe it could have felt more impactful.
I also don't necessarily want to speak too negatively about the gratuitous violence or general sexual imagery as an inherit bad thing. I'm definitely not a horror/slasher buff, but I can understand the value that including those things can bring to a story. especially considering the author is not just some dude who's trying to win the splatterpunk edgy author olympics: rumfitt is a trans woman living in the UK during a terrifying time to be one. I have no doubts alice is somewhat of a self insert character and the events in the story pull from rumfitt's own life. however, I feel similarly about this book as I do other horror novels I've read: I think it's hard to find all those things worth it when you don't also have the payoff of genuinely good prose and writing. you can only read so many slurs and rape scenes before it doesn't even feel meaningful anymore.
I really do think there is a version of this book that I absolutely love. there are a lot of things rumfitt does well. I enjoyed many of the house scenes, and there's some really great frightening tension and atmosphere that can be hard to achieve in writing. queer stories should be told even if they're fucked up. mixing gender and queer sexuality with horror in an uncensored, grimy way should and can be incredibly effective. but overall this book just feels like it falls short in many ways; it almost feels like an early draft. the ending feels rushed and unfinished. I want more books like this, just done.... better?
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I do think ms alison demonstrated a greater storytelling ability with brainwyrms (one of my favorite books of all time that I will never read again) and understood how + when to be more *and* less on the nose to effectively make her point, but this was good and good to see where she started. made me think I maybe would have gotten more out of it if I were british, and that made me wonder what this book would have been like if it was about american empire/fascism instead, how different and similar
2nd dnf of the same book, made it 50 pages but just not engrossed
This one was haunting in a way I wasn’t ready for. A queer, haunted horror short read that seamlessly shifts perspectives between Alice, Ila and the haunted house itself.
dark