Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

Anthem by Noah Hawley

3 reviews

tnociti's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Gun violence, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Panic attacks/disorders, Emotional abuse, Murder, Violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Torture, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Trafficking

booksandcatsgalore's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I have no idea what to say about this book. How do I help you decide if you should read it? It's dark, it's violent, it's depressing, bleak even. It hits you in the face with all the headlines of the day, like mainlining CNN without even a commercial break: teen suicide, the opioid crisis, white supremacy and QAnon crazies, a Jeffrey Espstein-ish villain, global warming and climate disasters, political upheaval and revolution. It's not a pleasant read, I can't say I enjoyed it, but it's gripping, I felt compelled to keep reading. The writing earns 4 stars, maybe more? Right until the end I wasn't sure if it was a 1 star book or a 5 star book. Ultimately I say give it a shot. It may not be for you, but if you can get through it, I think you will be glad that you did.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Adult/minor relationship, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, and Violence

Moderate: Sexual assault, Classism, Confinement, Pregnancy, Racism, Rape, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Physical abuse, Addiction, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Gaslighting, Self harm, Terminal illness, Torture, Domestic abuse, and Drug use

amywoolsey_93's review against another edition

dark funny tense fast-paced

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

4.25

A scream into the void in novel form. I imagine some people might be turned off by the amount of explaining and editorializing, not to mention the premise involving mass suicide, but I found Anthem weirdly comforting. It's the first fictional work I've encountered that treats the COVID-19 pandemic not as just a weird event but a catastrophe that permanently changed the world. The reality it presents, full of teenage avengers, evil billionaires, and apocalyptic violence, feels truer than the fantasy of normalcy peddled by politicians and the news, where society in its current form is not only logical but desirable and a stable, prosperous future is not only possible but inevitable because the story America (humanity?) tells itself is one with a happy ending. What's more absurd than insisting that an absurd thing is not absurd? Anyway, LOL.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Violence, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Medical content, Eating disorder, and Pedophilia

Minor: Confinement, Mass/school shootings, Self harm, and Vomit