Reviews tagging 'Self harm'

Cows by Matthew Stokoe

18 reviews

jocelyn73c's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I'm not a big splatterpunk reader. Extreme gore is not really my thing. This book really pushed a lot of my boundaries, but that being said I thought the writing was good and there was an actual message about male isolation and dominance over others that I thought was well illustrated. I won't ever read it again, but I'm not mad I read it this one time.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Mental illness, Medical content, Violence, Toxic relationship, Torture, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Excrement, Eating disorder, Death, Abandonment, Animal death, Misogyny, Fatphobia, Ableism, Pregnancy, Murder, Racial slurs, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Vomit, Toxic friendship, Self harm, Medical trauma, Gore, Domestic abuse, Animal cruelty, Blood, and Confinement

This is a splatterpunk book and probably should not be read by someone who isn't familiar with the genre. It's very graphic and challenging.

laboromi's review against another edition

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? No

0.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body shaming, Death of parent, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Violence, Gore, Grief, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Excrement, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Death, Cannibalism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual content, Abortion, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, and Vomit

goldencinder's review against another edition

challenging dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This story is so disgusting, gritty, violent, dark, horrifying, and dreadful… and I loved it. There is no way my review can convey how filthy this novel is. Stokoe plunges you into this hopeless world of isolation, mania, and terror and never lets you breathe. Seriously, every page turn had me gagging. 

This book will NOT be for everyone, not even everyone in the market for grotesque horror or edgy material. I believe I appreciated it because I had to remind myself multiple times that it was just a fiction novel and I was experiencing the author’s very disturbing mind. I appreciated the ride I guess.

While I saw a commentary amongst all the muck, torture, and perversion, I cannot be for certain that there was any deeper meaning to this story than Stokoe just writing shocking shit for the fun of it. 

I haven’t fully formed my interpretations into a fully fleshed out thought yet. I feel like a lot of the content was a criticism or comment on a similar aspect of reality. For instance, the egregious amount of fat phobia. The mother’s body was consistently described in ways to make you feel icky and dirty only by overemphasizing her fat, folds, and weight.  However, it was so over the top, I began to feel like it was just referencing the already pervasive fat phobia that exists and turning it up to 11. Of course I could be reading into it too much and Matthew Stokoe is actually just fat phobic. 

I will say, though I did enjoy the book, I could have definitely gone through it without the abhorrent torture and mutilation of the cows. I also did not care for the cow’s dialogue. The ending also left me wanting, but it could be because I didn’t understand what it was meant to symbolize.

I’ve read some great criticisms of this book here and I agree with all of them, whether they hated it or loved it. This book causes some very visceral reactions.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Gaslighting, Sexual violence, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Gore, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Pregnancy, Self harm, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Body horror, Death, Death of parent, Fatphobia, Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Racial slurs, Suicide, Vomit, Physical abuse, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cursing, Sexual assault, and Torture

Be warned!! This book is not for the sensitive stomach. While e this book gets very graphic and has a plethora of horrendous content, there is a larger commentary behind it all and it is very well crafted.

kxtiix's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-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

0.5

literal cow shit. i did NOT fw this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Domestic abuse, Rape, Excrement, Animal death, Body horror, Classism, Death, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Emotional abuse, Gore, Animal cruelty, Murder, and Self harm

Minor: Racial slurs

pantrat's review

challenging dark tense medium-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

1.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Animal death, Body shaming, Cursing, Murder, Physical abuse, Abortion, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Death, Fatphobia, Pregnancy, Self harm, Sexism, Vomit, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Excrement, Gore, Medical content, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Racism, Racial slurs, and Rape

mill_sas's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

writing style was a bit difficult to follow at times but you get the gist eventually. completely and utterly depraved i might become vegan now...

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Animal cruelty, Gore, and Self harm

gothkicks's review against another edition

dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Well-written but grotesque to an often gratuitous extent.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Animal death, Child abuse, Sexual content, Body horror, Sexual violence, Torture, Pedophilia, Vomit, Self harm, Mental illness, Murder, Domestic abuse, Excrement, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Violence, Animal cruelty, Blood, Rape, Death, and Physical abuse

janachigo's review against another edition

challenging dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Animal cruelty, Gore, Physical abuse, Vomit, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Self harm, Body horror, Animal death, Blood, Child abuse, Mental illness, Murder, Sexual violence, Excrement, Sexual content, and Violence

Moderate: Pregnancy, Rape, Toxic relationship, and Sexual assault

catsy2022's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Gore, Pregnancy, Child death, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Emotional abuse, Violence, Sexual content, Torture, Vomit, Murder, Domestic abuse, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Excrement, Death, Body horror, Blood, Death of parent, Sexual violence, and Self harm

nikzzz3's review

challenging dark reflective sad tense

3.0

Disgusting, disturbing, thought provoking horror. There is a lot about bodily fluids and excrement, probably more than ive ever read in a book before. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Animal cruelty, Gore, Sexual content, Vomit, and Excrement

Moderate: Self harm