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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
I liked:
- The Hannah Chapter - I wish we got more of her, but I really resonated with the feeling of being a third wheel, and I think the author did capture that quite well.
- The House - creepy, especially it’s first chapter.
- The content warning (though I wish I had come across it before I impulse purchased the book, oops!)
What I didn’t like:
- Did this book have an editor? Typos/missing punctuation. I get that some slip through the cracks but come on now.
- I get that the house was making people their worst self, but some of it was far too much. The fetish forum post in particular was just way too much and too long. Did it need to go on for as long as it did? Similarly, the You chapter - could we have maybe halved it?
- honestly like most of the TERF characters story arc. The SA in the bathroom honestly felt too ham fisted (I thought it was going to show Joyce take advantage of Ila/Harry but in more of an abusive relationship sense and not, well, that). Them being closeted trans was a bit meh.
- Speaking of SA, there’s a lot of rape and assault and mutilation of women’s bodies.
Overall, this is probably not a book I would recommend, but with a better editor (who maybe encourages Rumfitt to pull back on the fetish forum post nonsense) I would probably give other works by Rumfitt a crack.
- The Hannah Chapter - I wish we got more of her, but I really resonated with the feeling of being a third wheel, and I think the author did capture that quite well.
- The House - creepy, especially it’s first chapter.
- The content warning (though I wish I had come across it before I impulse purchased the book, oops!)
What I didn’t like:
- Did this book have an editor? Typos/missing punctuation. I get that some slip through the cracks but come on now.
- I get that the house was making people their worst self, but some of it was far too much. The fetish forum post in particular was just way too much and too long. Did it need to go on for as long as it did? Similarly, the You chapter - could we have maybe halved it?
- honestly like most of the TERF characters story arc. The SA in the bathroom honestly felt too ham fisted (I thought it was going to show Joyce take advantage of Ila/Harry but in more of an abusive relationship sense and not, well, that). Them being closeted trans was a bit meh.
- Speaking of SA, there’s a lot of rape and assault and mutilation of women’s bodies.
Overall, this is probably not a book I would recommend, but with a better editor (who maybe encourages Rumfitt to pull back on the fetish forum post nonsense) I would probably give other works by Rumfitt a crack.
dark
tense
fast-paced
Definitely heavy-handed and overwhelming, but an honest and brutal account of the trans experience in the current age.
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
one of the best books written this century and certainly the best queer horror novel.
dark
funny
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, Sexual assault, Transphobia, Xenophobia, Antisemitism
Moderate: Pedophilia, Dysphoria
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Accidentally refreshed the page and lost my entire review here goes me trying to recreate it
Jarring and brutal and raw. This book forces you to look in the mirror and holds you there if you try to look away. I can hardly believe this is the author’s first novel, and I look forward to her further work with bated breath.
The House is a brilliant metaphor I will be thinking about for a long time. I don’t think I’ve seen the realities of fascism shown in such a stark and real way in a long time.
Jarring and brutal and raw. This book forces you to look in the mirror and holds you there if you try to look away. I can hardly believe this is the author’s first novel, and I look forward to her further work with bated breath.
The House is a brilliant metaphor I will be thinking about for a long time. I don’t think I’ve seen the realities of fascism shown in such a stark and real way in a long time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Transphobia, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Antisemitism, Suicide attempt, Murder, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Body shaming, Drug use, Eating disorder, Genocide, Sexual content
Minor: Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Excrement, Islamophobia, Mass/school shootings, Car accident, War, Deportation
dark
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Beautifully dark. Perfectly twisted. Those last few chapters blew me away. Inspirational and delicious. I would love to find the time to talk with the author. I’m devastated.
well that was intense af damn. check the cw before reading it but i do recommend it
11/02/2024 - took off the stars because this isnt a book to rate, just a book to read
11/02/2024 - took off the stars because this isnt a book to rate, just a book to read
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
This book is a difficult book to read. There is a trigger warning in the beginning and you should believe it. That said for those who can read triggering books, it is unlike many books I have read. It also feels prescient and thus incredibly affecting for reading right now. Although as I suppose the "House" would say, is it surprising or prescient at all, or "more of the same"?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Antisemitism, Dysphoria