Scan barcode
heini's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
I listened to this as an audiobook during my walks and probably had too much distractions going on to fully appreciate this book.
It was hard to get through as it deals with heavy topics, such as dementia and mother-daughter relationship, and it's also very gritty-realistic.
A lot of talk of bladders and pissing and perspiration and odor and plucking hairs.
It could've worked better a tad shorter.
It was hard to get through as it deals with heavy topics, such as dementia and mother-daughter relationship, and it's also very gritty-realistic.
A lot of talk of bladders and pissing and perspiration and odor and plucking hairs.
It could've worked better a tad shorter.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship
Minor: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Dementia, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Pedophilia, Rape, and Sexual content
A rape scene with adult male and small child.musewithxara's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Body shaming, Dementia, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Mental illness, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, and Vomit
Minor: Rape
bookmaddie's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- 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
2.5
I must admit that I finished this book primarily because it was short. While the writing style and premise intrigued me at the beginning, as the story wound on the main character just got more and more annoying to me. I feel like the author was trying to embody the ~distant artist~ vibe, which can work in some iterations, but here I found it so odd. She is an artist and clearly thinks abt her practice and emotions in some sense, yet the narrative was so flat—there is no emotional depth here. The main character refuses to address any trauma that she has faced, and while that kind of leads into the bizarre ending, I don't think it was worthwhile. It just made the story feel very shallow.
Besides that, I found the narrative structure to just be a bit lacking and jumpy—quickly going from flashback to present and back again. It was hard for me to form a coherent picture of her present day. I also thought this would be more about her mother's memory loss but instead it devolves into a picture of the main character's trauma—yet doesn't bother to really examine that much in context with her mother's memory loss.
The ending really turned the book on its head, though. I think on one hand, it added a real level of interest when contemplating the story as a whole. But even so, I still feel like it didn't add much to the story to make me like it more. While I understand what Doshi was trying to do with this book, I just feel like it fell flat for me. There was something missing—I think I just wanted more depth and acknowledgement of trauma and memory.
Besides that, I found the narrative structure to just be a bit lacking and jumpy—quickly going from flashback to present and back again. It was hard for me to form a coherent picture of her present day. I also thought this would be more about her mother's memory loss but instead it devolves into a picture of the main character's trauma—yet doesn't bother to really examine that much in context with her mother's memory loss.
The ending really turned the book on its head, though. I think on one hand, it added a real level of interest when contemplating the story as a whole. But even so, I still feel like it didn't add much to the story to make me like it more. While I understand what Doshi was trying to do with this book, I just feel like it fell flat for me. There was something missing—I think I just wanted more depth and acknowledgement of trauma and memory.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Blood, Body shaming, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Abortion
nakutski's review against another edition
challenging
dark
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? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Dementia, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Genocide, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual content
Moderate: Body shaming and Bullying
daisymaytwizell's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
You meet more Taras and Antaras than I can count over the course of this novel, and Doshi never once falters in her weaving of them.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Dementia and Emotional abuse
Minor: Body shaming and Mental illness
More...