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beckyjc's review
- 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
2.75
The narrator is a 10 year old girl who lives on a farm in the Netherlands with her extremely religious family. In the early pages of the novel her eldest brother dies in an ice skating accident and this event sends the family members spiraling into grief in different ways, none of which involve honestly expressing how they feel with each other. This leads to some destructive, disturbing and downright bizarre behaviour on the part of the remaining children, who are effectively left to their own devices by their devastated, emotionally repressed parents. They each plot to escape the stifling and loveless environment of the farm - through violent and sexually abusive outlets, as well as literal distancing - and this culminates in an ending that shocked me.
The subject matter is of course very sad, but the unflinching writing style, brutal and sparse, and bleak imagery didn't really encourage my empathy - despite it being autobiographical. I felt like an alarmed observer watching with mounting unease (and downright disgust at points!) as the family comes apart at their greatest time of need.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Grief, Incest, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, and Excrement
Minor: Abandonment
becca_thegrimreader's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Self harm, Body horror, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Incest, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicide, and Violence
Moderate: Animal death
emptychurches's review
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Grief, and Suicide
Moderate: Blood, Bullying, Eating disorder, Excrement, Incest, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, and Self harm
Minor: Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, and Vomit
celine's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Graphic: Animal death, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Child death, Grief, Incest, and Sexual content
Moderate: Physical abuse and Suicide
Minor: Blood, Bullying, Pedophilia, and Self harm
mchannah's review
1.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Self harm, Physical abuse, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Child death, Death, Gore, Incest, Murder, Pedophilia, Rape, and Violence
lottelow's review
- 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
3.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Death, Grief, Suicide attempt, Suicide, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Religious bigotry
Minor: Incest, Islamophobia, Physical abuse, Torture, and Toxic relationship
bookshelfsessions's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Excrement, Grief, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts
There is no doubt that The Discomfort of Evening is incredibly well-written and oddly captivating, which is why I have given it the rating I have. That said, I personally found it a very hard read given how dark and claustrophobic it is. I found the quotes on the cover of the book slightly misleading too. Yes it is 'exhilarating' and 'luminous' but for me it was also a very traumatic book. I think there are several moderate content warnings to be aware of before reading.ameliasbooks's review against another edition
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Excrement, Child abuse, Grief, Violence, Physical abuse, Self harm, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Sexual violence, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Child death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Religious bigotry, Vomit, and Death
hanleest's review
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Antisemitism, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Incest, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Torture
uncomfortablenouns's review
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Antisemitism, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Grief, Incest, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Vomit
Not for the squeamish. Honestly, I mostly felt trolled by this book.