Reviews tagging 'Toxic friendship'

Cows by Matthew Stokoe

5 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.

siobhan_leahy's review against another edition

dark sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

<spoiler ish here>

OK, so there is gore, there is carnage there is every trigger warning you can possibly think of and more that you can't but........ Is it realistic? Is it drawn from real life?  Talking cows? Evil parents and inner personal demons?

Well I'm going to say yes!!!! And before you laugh (whoever saw a talking cow) I'll explain.

This is a story about a guy who's been abused by his only parent for 25 years, his boss at his 1st and only job sexually abuses him. Forcing him to doing things he doesn't want to, complete power trip and manipulation of the vulnerable. (sound familiar yet?)

Afraid of the world around him, desperate to be part of a normal loving family he clings to the only thing he has ever found comfort with. A disturbed girl living in a flat above him and the cows at the meat factory where he works.

His descent into madness and mental health is sadly a true reflection on the world in which we live. Working in this sector I see these vulnerable people everyday and my heart aches for them.

Mental health does not operate in the neat tidy box's we slide society into. It doesn't cover over the nasty dirty details of the human condition, like this book, it is cold, open, cruel, dirty, and outcast. Society seeks to hide it (and from it)! Mental health is a growing pandemic in today's world much like a developing herd of Murderous talking cows under a city.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Abandonment, Abortion, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Body shaming, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Rape, Toxic friendship, and Violence

Not for the faint hearted or those with a weak stomach

earsore's review against another edition

challenging dark fast-paced

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

2.5

Not sure if this was an allegory that flew over my head or just a total exercise in shock value, but either way it was... uh... something I guess.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Torture, Toxic friendship, Blood, Gore, Mental illness, Abortion, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Fatphobia, Murder, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Vomit

Minor: Racial slurs

tigrah's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional fast-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

1.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Animal cruelty, Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Gaslighting, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Torture, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

ballepai14's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Animal death, Death, Fatphobia, Gore, Murder, Blood, Cursing, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Suicide, Sexual content, Rape, Miscarriage, Violence, Toxic friendship, Abortion, Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, and Pregnancy