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scruffie's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Death, Grief, and War
Moderate: Blood and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Vomit, Animal death, Infidelity, and Rape
markreadspages's review
hopeful
reflective
medium-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
Overall, I enjoyed this book. It’s quite short, which in many ways added to the charm. I thought the characters were well fleshed out for such a short book and developed nicely throughout. I would love to know how things progressed after the end of the book, but there’s also something nice about leaving it open to the imagination
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and War
Moderate: Suicide, Violence, and Death
Minor: Blood
leonors's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Short and delicate. Mostly. I’m not sure what to think about the author’s approach to a difficult theme such as suicidal thoughts. On one hand, based on the way she depicts him, I don’t think Jonas really wanted to die. From the very beginning he keeps looking for flaws to fix in his suicidal plan, first the choice of weapon, then the problem of his daughter finding his corpse; then he chooses a country where the war is over, which means, despite what he says about it, that he won’t be at risk of being shot at any second. In this sense, he strikes me more as a man who at some level is still looking for sense and meaning, than one ready to give up.
Only putting things in this perspective I can consider acceptable how the author made the protagonist diminish his own unhappiness, by comparing it to what war survivors have been through and making him define it “an idiocy at best”. That’d otherwise be a shallow and ignorant view on mental illness, since plenty of studies show that psychological symptoms are the same regardless of how big the trauma has been. Unhappiness and suicidal thoughts aren’t a competition, and claiming the contrary is stupid and patronizing.
That being said, this can still be a nice story of a new beginning and of unexpected ways to find meaning in life when one’s going through a crisis.
Only putting things in this perspective I can consider acceptable how the author made the protagonist diminish his own unhappiness, by comparing it to what war survivors have been through and making him define it “an idiocy at best”. That’d otherwise be a shallow and ignorant view on mental illness, since plenty of studies show that psychological symptoms are the same regardless of how big the trauma has been. Unhappiness and suicidal thoughts aren’t a competition, and claiming the contrary is stupid and patronizing.
That being said, this can still be a nice story of a new beginning and of unexpected ways to find meaning in life when one’s going through a crisis.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Violence, Gun violence, and Grief
callmeamelia's review
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Violence and Blood
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