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unhingedreader's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
This book is a very visceral read, without giving too much away it has an unreliable narrator and many twists and turns.
Irina is the kind of friend that you warn people about, she is manipulative and gaslights those around her. Somewhat similar to a car crash scene that you know you shouldn’t look at, but can’t quite look away from. She has some interesting pastimes including drug and alcohol abuse, which she seems to utilise as a crutch to escape her current reality of the under appreciated artist. Apart from her bar job her main career focus is photographing generic looking men that she scouts on the streets of Newcastle. Her photography specialises on fetish art and the book follows her attempting to revive her career whilst being entirely horrible to anyone in her vicinity.
There’s many reasons I enjoyed this book, it sticks with you. Irina’s perspective will have you want to laugh at her dark wit and recoil at her true desires.
I have had the pleasure of meeting the author Eliza Clark who is a very down to earth person that writes some pretty messed up books. I would look into some of her interviews because I really think it adds to the overall narrative of the book.
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Body shaming, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Drug use, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Animal death, Murder, Body horror, Fatphobia, Rape, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Mental illness, Bullying, Alcohol, Body shaming, Classism, Dysphoria, Eating disorder, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Sexual content
eirasenior's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Rape, Drug abuse, Sexual violence, Body horror, Drug use, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Eating disorder, Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, and Vomit
swagboat69's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Animal cruelty, Blood, Drug use, Gaslighting, Grief, Mental illness, Misogyny, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Murder, Rape, Toxic friendship, Vomit, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, and Violence
mcrespo's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Sexual assault, Murder, Drug use, Drug abuse, Rape, and Eating disorder
Moderate: Fatphobia
Minor: Pedophilia, Animal death, Adult/minor relationship, and Animal cruelty
bethniamh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Sexual assault, Rape, Physical abuse, Blood, Body horror, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Alcohol
diana311's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Addiction, Gore, Blood, and Cursing
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Animal death
gracesvcr's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
(spoiler-ish warning...maybe??)
There was a whole lot going on with this book and then there was a whole lot of nothing in the end. There were multiple times throughout the book where I questioned what the point was and where the point is. Every 2 chapters, I would wonder what the deeper meaning behind all the details were, but I would usually end up with no answers and continue on my questioning. It was difficult for me to sort out where this book was headed but not in the way of intrigue like other thrillers do for me where I am ravenously digging into the book wondering what the next page will entail. Instead, it was more in the ways of, "is this worth my time?" and, "is there a deeper meaning, because I hope there is at the end of all this?"
I felt like I got nothing out of this book and I was supposed to get something from the way that it had structured itself. It seemed like there was going to be this big plot twist or this big message on something. The little scenes and details and characters, they were all supposed to mean something, but they just...kind of didn't. I stress the meaning so much in my review because the book held itself with such importance, but maybe that was just Irina's narcism bleeding through the pages making it out to be bigger than it actually was.
This book was attempting to be something shocking, unseen, taboo, kinky, conforming to a niche group of people, and the like. I won't deny it these titles, but I think the execution was poor. It's almost ironic how similar this book is to Irina's photography business and personality. What it ended up as was a confusing mess with open plot lines and very serious topics (like gender, sex, BDSM, abuse, SA, rape, ect.) left inadequately communicated. I understand trying to touch on taboo topics like having an edgy character that is gay and overly sexual for a female. The thing is, the book really just did too much. Like I think it was trying to touch on every obscure, 'edgy', taboo topic of our generation. What Eliza Clark failed to do was come to a conclusion on all the topics. She touches on them, but she doesn't really form an arch or a story or a resolution with them. The structure and the plot just fell flat in many areas and with little to no resolution on these heavy/more taboo topics, it kind of loses any meaning she was trying to achieve.
The portrayal of the BDSM community and sadism, specifically, was so poorly written. With no aftercare, no communication, and little to no consent, it almost feeds into the stereotypes of BDSM rather than contribute to the community at all. The most important thing about portraying sadism or BDSM in general is the strong use of consent. This book is literally just rape and SA, which can be fine if it is done in the right way. To my understanding from this book, the men are just straight up extremely uncomfortable with Irina sexually, but for some reason, Eliza keeps them going right back to her. I think Eliza was trying to pull this bigmessage about how Irina has 'little to no consequences to her actions' and making it some massive thing that's supposed to elicit a response in the reader. To me, her point just fell flat and just miscommunicates kinky sex.
Also, I understand the main character is supposed to be a sociopath/narcissist that lacks any and all empathy and just wants to just hurt people/self sabotage, but I feel like it could have been written better. It was almost like Eliza Clark was confused on whether to make the sex consensual and then changed her mind middle way through, but kept attempting this ploy throughout the book.
For some of the highlights, the book didn't end up on my DNR list and didn't take me too long to read either. (I did find myself taking multiple breaks b/c the main character is just insufferable but she's supposed to be). Luckily, it also didn't kill my reading streak (which I'm very grateful for). There were a few good prose and quotes in this book, but at the end of the day, I feel like the book was just trying to accomplish too much in which it fell flat with me.
All this to say, I did not absolutely hate the book regardless of the low rating and criticisms that I have of it. I think it was interesting at the end of the day, but the goal of the book just didn't get achieved for me. Also, I just feel like the lines of consent blur a little too much and misunderstandings about taboo sex and sex in general could get misconstrued. But...maybe that was the point so I don't know. This book left me feeling confused.
(if there are any typos, I apologize. I am a stressed/burnt out nursing student just trying to mentally survive and it's 1 am. Thanks for reading <3
Graphic: Alcoholism, Violence, Addiction, Cursing, Physical abuse, Death, and Vomit
Moderate: Torture, Sexual harassment, Misogyny, Gore, Eating disorder, Toxic relationship, Homophobia, Toxic friendship, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Fatphobia, Biphobia, and Blood
Minor: Animal death, Animal cruelty, Child death, Self harm, and Rape
kates_cupcakes's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Gore, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Cursing, Eating disorder, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Violence, Murder, Animal cruelty, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, and Drug use
Moderate: Sexual assault and Vomit
Minor: Animal death, Self harm, and Animal cruelty
editorgrrl's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
An unreliable narrator, she drops names, watches ultra violent films, and wishes she were a stone cold bitch rather than a plumber’s daughter who’s only working part time at a seedy bar so that her mam will continue to pay half her rent.
If you hate unlikable characters, this is not the book for you. I found it darkly humorous, and a little sad.
Graphic: Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Torture, Toxic relationship, Bullying, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Sexual violence, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Alcoholism, and Self harm
Minor: Vomit, Adult/minor relationship, and Animal cruelty
robbie_d94's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Sexual assault, Death, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Blood, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gaslighting, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Physical abuse
Minor: Vomit