Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Anthem by Noah Hawley

4 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

---

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.

---

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

jennsbookshelves's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Antisemitism, Child death, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Torture, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Violence, and War

ashleysbookthoughts's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

2.5

I loved Hawley’s book, Before the Fall. So when I saw that he had a new novel coming out that was kind of a dystopian critique of America, I was excited. The jacket description of this book is bananas, but it begins as a compelling, insightful critique of America and how divided we’ve become. 

But then it devolves into a bit of a mess. I think I get what Hawley was trying to do. He’s attempting to satirize the current state of America. But I think his point and his narrative get bogged down by the fact that he’s trying to do too much. There’s no issue that isn’t included. We get everything: the political divide, climate change, opioid epidemic, social media, COVID, the Me Too movement, Q-Anon, gun violence, the war in Afghanistan, and more. There’s even a Jeffrey Epstein type character. 

To his credit, Hawley acknowledges within the text that the world he created is “ridiculous,” but his points still come across as heavy-handed. It isn’t helped by the dialogue, which is often clunky. There are too many metaphors; people don’t talk like this. 

Somewhere in here, though, is a good story. I was invested throughout and anxious to see where it was going. Unfortunately, the problem, to quote from the book: “Simon sighs. It’s all so vague.”

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Murder, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Trafficking, Violence, and War

Moderate: Antisemitism, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Mass/school shootings, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, and Sexual assault