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tesslw's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
TW; rape, sexual assault, sexual content, self harm, emotional abuse / manipulation, alcoholism, suicide attempt, fatphobia
This book is one of the most atrocious things I have read in terms of content, outlining the dynamics within a sickeningly manipulative and emotionally abusive relationship - but it is also one of the most compelling and stunning books I have read in both style and delivery.
Magma is the story of Lilja, a 20-year old woman deeply in love with her boyfriend (whose name we never learn). On the surface he appears charming, handsome and educated, with a strong moral compass (a vegetarian, no less!) - but as we progress through the novel and Lilja recounts his behaviours as they become increasingly obsessive and overbearing, it seems clear that these troubles are not fleeting and are only growing steadily worse. As Lilja perpetually bends to his will and becomes ever more submissive and self deprecating, Magma becomes progressively harder to read, but also increasingly powerful thematically.
At just over 200 pages and written in short, punchy vignettes this is incredibly easy to devour; I did so in a single afternoon sitting, finding myself squirming at increasingly regular intervals but unable to tear myself away from the story. This book is absolutely peppered with content warnings (so much so that they’re actually printed on the book - that’s how you KNOW it’s heavy) so please please be aware that this is not a read for everyone. It’s brutal and harrowing but it’s also hauntingly poetic. This does not glamourize abuse of power. Not for a single second. It simply shines a spotlight on the power of desperate infatuation and loss of identity to another person in a way that stays with you long after you’ve put the book down. I’ve heard this compared strongly to Boy Parts and Acts of Desperation, so if you’ve read and enjoyed either, this might be one for you to consider picking up.
This book is one of the most atrocious things I have read in terms of content, outlining the dynamics within a sickeningly manipulative and emotionally abusive relationship - but it is also one of the most compelling and stunning books I have read in both style and delivery.
Magma is the story of Lilja, a 20-year old woman deeply in love with her boyfriend (whose name we never learn). On the surface he appears charming, handsome and educated, with a strong moral compass (a vegetarian, no less!) - but as we progress through the novel and Lilja recounts his behaviours as they become increasingly obsessive and overbearing, it seems clear that these troubles are not fleeting and are only growing steadily worse. As Lilja perpetually bends to his will and becomes ever more submissive and self deprecating, Magma becomes progressively harder to read, but also increasingly powerful thematically.
At just over 200 pages and written in short, punchy vignettes this is incredibly easy to devour; I did so in a single afternoon sitting, finding myself squirming at increasingly regular intervals but unable to tear myself away from the story. This book is absolutely peppered with content warnings (so much so that they’re actually printed on the book - that’s how you KNOW it’s heavy) so please please be aware that this is not a read for everyone. It’s brutal and harrowing but it’s also hauntingly poetic. This does not glamourize abuse of power. Not for a single second. It simply shines a spotlight on the power of desperate infatuation and loss of identity to another person in a way that stays with you long after you’ve put the book down. I’ve heard this compared strongly to Boy Parts and Acts of Desperation, so if you’ve read and enjoyed either, this might be one for you to consider picking up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Rape, Self harm, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Suicide attempt and Pregnancy
halllkk's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Pregnancy
mondovertigo's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Rape, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Self harm, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Infidelity, Gaslighting, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Body shaming and Eating disorder
Minor: Pregnancy, Drug abuse, and Drug use
booklane's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
“I didn’t think any of it was really important. Just two pieces of meat kneading each other, trying to find an orgasm that would make them forget, if only for a fleeting second, how empty their lives are”
An account of a toxic relationship in chapters that are like flashes, written a sparse, magnetic prose that does not hesitate to call thing by their own name.
20-year-old Lilja falls for a young man a few years older than her. He seems to tick many the boxes: smart, well read, a vegetarian, does work for a charity. Yet their relation exudes toxicity from the very first lines, with humiliation as a key word: Lilja got chlamydia from someone else while travelling before they got together and he thinks she is a slut (never mind he will openly sleep around multiple times). This should send her reeling, yet she feels guilty and undeserving. Her sense of guilt increases as, enumerating the partners she could have got it from, she loses count, and we understand that she is a fragile, confused being desperate for connection who has found someone ready to take advantage.
The introductory episode sets the tone for a novella in which the anonymous boyfriend will debase Lilja in a number of ways, including gaslighting, openly cheating on her (even as part of a game), ignoring, exposing or isolating her her, comparing her to his idealised ex and forcing LIlja to meet her and listen to her anecdotes filled with graphic sexual details. As the narration progresses, we witness Lilja's spiralling down and falling apart as she tries to save him from his callousness, drowning in demeaning acts of self-denial and feelings of worthlessness. The narration in flashes focusing on single significant moments is particularly effective.
It always takes two to tango or to build a co-dependent relationship, and this is particularly true in this subtle, powerful investigation of female fragility -- a condition that makes Lilja the perfect prey for an equally fragile man who hides behind a facade of self-confidence and righteousness and fills the void of his life with fleeting, strong, violent emotions and may be playing out on her his repressed anger and trauma. An insightful exploration of prevarication, of the power imbalance between men and women and the anguish, vacuity, and emptiness that can pervade social and affective relationships (in our time and other times as well), in which sex is a perfunctory, empty act, sleeping around an empty game to kill time and communication is close to zero, replaced by a harsh physicality and rough sex the protagonists don’t seem to enjoy: anything “to shake me out of this deadness”.
The ending, strangely hopeful and open, leaves it up to us to imagine what future awaits Lilija.
A graphic, shocking novel that, in its cold lucidity, reminded me of the lost youth and moral vacuum brilliantly depicted in Bret Easton Ellis’ early novels.
An account of a toxic relationship in chapters that are like flashes, written a sparse, magnetic prose that does not hesitate to call thing by their own name.
20-year-old Lilja falls for a young man a few years older than her. He seems to tick many the boxes: smart, well read, a vegetarian, does work for a charity. Yet their relation exudes toxicity from the very first lines, with humiliation as a key word: Lilja got chlamydia from someone else while travelling before they got together and he thinks she is a slut (never mind he will openly sleep around multiple times). This should send her reeling, yet she feels guilty and undeserving. Her sense of guilt increases as, enumerating the partners she could have got it from, she loses count, and we understand that she is a fragile, confused being desperate for connection who has found someone ready to take advantage.
The introductory episode sets the tone for a novella in which the anonymous boyfriend will debase Lilja in a number of ways, including gaslighting, openly cheating on her (even as part of a game), ignoring, exposing or isolating her her, comparing her to his idealised ex and forcing LIlja to meet her and listen to her anecdotes filled with graphic sexual details. As the narration progresses, we witness Lilja's spiralling down and falling apart as she tries to save him from his callousness, drowning in demeaning acts of self-denial and feelings of worthlessness. The narration in flashes focusing on single significant moments is particularly effective.
It always takes two to tango or to build a co-dependent relationship, and this is particularly true in this subtle, powerful investigation of female fragility -- a condition that makes Lilja the perfect prey for an equally fragile man who hides behind a facade of self-confidence and righteousness and fills the void of his life with fleeting, strong, violent emotions and may be playing out on her his repressed anger and trauma. An insightful exploration of prevarication, of the power imbalance between men and women and the anguish, vacuity, and emptiness that can pervade social and affective relationships (in our time and other times as well), in which sex is a perfunctory, empty act, sleeping around an empty game to kill time and communication is close to zero, replaced by a harsh physicality and rough sex the protagonists don’t seem to enjoy: anything “to shake me out of this deadness”.
The ending, strangely hopeful and open, leaves it up to us to imagine what future awaits Lilija.
A graphic, shocking novel that, in its cold lucidity, reminded me of the lost youth and moral vacuum brilliantly depicted in Bret Easton Ellis’ early novels.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Self harm, and Gaslighting
alwaysgottimeforbooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Domestic abuse, and Sexual content
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