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dizzzybrook's review
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
"I'm constantly reminded of feverish worlds. They come not as an illness inside me, inaccessible to those around me, but an external one; the fever comes from without."
I found this book to be sickeningly bittersweet, cathartic, and comforting in ways that I can only imagine being understood by those who struggle with severe and persistent mental illness. Gråbøl's writing is undeniably gorgeous. For a book discussing such heavy subject matter, reading this felt strangely cozy and warm. Genuinely such a special little book and easily an absolute favorite.
I found this book to be sickeningly bittersweet, cathartic, and comforting in ways that I can only imagine being understood by those who struggle with severe and persistent mental illness. Gråbøl's writing is undeniably gorgeous. For a book discussing such heavy subject matter, reading this felt strangely cozy and warm. Genuinely such a special little book and easily an absolute favorite.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Self harm, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: Vomit, Blood, and Excrement
jkstonge's review
4.0
Printed on the back cover of What Kingdom, Anne de Marcken's review states: "Only an unreliable narrator can be trusted with this story." Quite right! The perspective of the unnamed narrator gave this piece an odd, thready, silken quality. I never felt like the 'plot' was fully in my grasp. Mostly she lingered on small details, often the color and tangibility of objects, the materials that make up the furniture, the subtle movements of the fellow residents of the psychiatric ward she inhabits. The story felt like thick liquid in my hands. Being a fan of lyrical writing, this book was fully up my street.
Caroline (🤍) gifted me this book to read while I live in a weird state of limbo between two prominent stages of my life, and I couldn't be more grateful. As a fellow lover of sad girl/crazy girl books, this was the perfect gift (thank you Caroline!). She called this book "a beautifully written sad girl book to ruin the vibe". this is TRUE, and is exactly what I needed. What an interesting story! I am glad to have experienced it at this moment in time.
my quotes feel a little like 'you had to be there' quotes. But here they are, nonetheless!
-
"I've torn myself open, we try to sweep the bits of me together, but the wind whirls up dust when anyone goes through the doors."
"our daily routines are our best illusions of new beginnings, a new cycle. As if I can build on top of this broken world, these interior ruins; as if I had the strength. Cigarette first, and coffee; then the yogurt. At half past five I turn the television on."
"the past is nothing more than light"
"The ash of my cigarette disintegrates into the wind, mingles with the dancing dust, a traveler's gesticulations. I grip the headboard, a pathetic form of stability. As if was never going to be anything else but summer."
"I own only the illness inside me, the rest is something they take away."
"Kian. His hands clutch at so many things at the same time, and outside the summer will not wane. He falls in love quickly. He leans over the table and we talk quietly and at length about how we've slept, trying to sketch for each other the geography of night., the architecture of torment. Are we alone?"
...
the last one is long, but I feel like it says something IMPORTANT and if the only experience you have with What Kingdom is reading this review, please at least read this:
"The sick get sicker, and no one notices in time. Most mental illnesses are invisible illnesses, they say. It's how we hear others refer to our psychiatric diagnoses, illnesses no one can see, but we see them just fine, they're as plain as can be, articulated in our bodies, in our mortality rates, and we're tempted to ask, What makes you perceive mental illness as something invisible? It's peripheral whereabouts? The way it's thought of as something impenetrable, pertaining to the individual, inaccessible to any other? Is the effect of depression on our bones and joints invisible? Is persistent physical exhaustion invisible? Is psychomotor tempo invisible? Is the resignation of our metabolism invisible? Our wounds and scars, pink, purple, blue, crimson, are they invisible? Are our trembling hands, our trembling legs, our psychotic cramps, invisible? Is psychomotor agitation invisible? Are our bloated stomachs invisible? Are our bewildered, ashen faces invisible?"
Caroline (🤍) gifted me this book to read while I live in a weird state of limbo between two prominent stages of my life, and I couldn't be more grateful. As a fellow lover of sad girl/crazy girl books, this was the perfect gift (thank you Caroline!). She called this book "a beautifully written sad girl book to ruin the vibe". this is TRUE, and is exactly what I needed. What an interesting story! I am glad to have experienced it at this moment in time.
my quotes feel a little like 'you had to be there' quotes. But here they are, nonetheless!
-
"I've torn myself open, we try to sweep the bits of me together, but the wind whirls up dust when anyone goes through the doors."
"our daily routines are our best illusions of new beginnings, a new cycle. As if I can build on top of this broken world, these interior ruins; as if I had the strength. Cigarette first, and coffee; then the yogurt. At half past five I turn the television on."
"the past is nothing more than light"
"The ash of my cigarette disintegrates into the wind, mingles with the dancing dust, a traveler's gesticulations. I grip the headboard, a pathetic form of stability. As if was never going to be anything else but summer."
"I own only the illness inside me, the rest is something they take away."
"Kian. His hands clutch at so many things at the same time, and outside the summer will not wane. He falls in love quickly. He leans over the table and we talk quietly and at length about how we've slept, trying to sketch for each other the geography of night., the architecture of torment. Are we alone?"
...
the last one is long, but I feel like it says something IMPORTANT and if the only experience you have with What Kingdom is reading this review, please at least read this:
"The sick get sicker, and no one notices in time. Most mental illnesses are invisible illnesses, they say. It's how we hear others refer to our psychiatric diagnoses, illnesses no one can see, but we see them just fine, they're as plain as can be, articulated in our bodies, in our mortality rates, and we're tempted to ask, What makes you perceive mental illness as something invisible? It's peripheral whereabouts? The way it's thought of as something impenetrable, pertaining to the individual, inaccessible to any other? Is the effect of depression on our bones and joints invisible? Is persistent physical exhaustion invisible? Is psychomotor tempo invisible? Is the resignation of our metabolism invisible? Our wounds and scars, pink, purple, blue, crimson, are they invisible? Are our trembling hands, our trembling legs, our psychotic cramps, invisible? Is psychomotor agitation invisible? Are our bloated stomachs invisible? Are our bewildered, ashen faces invisible?"
seakay05's review
4.0
What Kingdom is a really special, introspective read, and I found myself immersed before I was aware of it. As we follow an unnamed narrator through her days in a psychiatric care unit, we feel like we're in a dream, removed from time and space and confined to the world of the clinic. The narrator has no sense of the days and focuses on the events, which makes the entire book, although fragmented, feel like one long continuous experience. We jump (probably linearly?) from period to period, not really knowing where we exist within the timeline, and something about the style made the novel really easy to consume. I felt immersed but removed at the same time, as if viewing the world through a film of cotton in that dreamlike state. The narrator and her ward mates go through the motions of a normal life, and we feel for them as it's clear that they are experiencing anything but. The novel is a lot more abstract than what I've read recently, which is why I think I find myself less enthusiastic with my rating, but it was a welcome change! Overall, a read that I recommend :)
Thanks so much to NetGalley, the publishers, and the author for the opportunity to read this as an eARC!
krisandburn's review
4.5
I trust Archipelago to put out interesting books and this one (translated from Danish) was definitely that and more.
Gråbøl lets the reader be in the head of a person that struggles with mental health issues and is living in a psychiatric care unit with other young people. The writing is scattered and it really makes you feel like you are as scattered as the person whose brain you’re in. I think the strength of this novel is that it humanizes mental health issues. Both for ‘normal’ people to understand better and for people that might recognise themselves in the protagonist.
The way the author manages to put quite traumatic events into the narrative that make you go ‘oh, ok’ is quite something. It’s not sentimental, even if my heart hurt for the narrator when I stopped to think what was actually being discussed and what they were going through.
I know I will be recommending this book to people around me. Maybe not everyone, but I have some people in mind that I know will appreciate the writing and the subject.
If the subject appeals to you, I would highly recommend picking this one up. I will be getting myself and a friend a copy.
cesttemps's review
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
whamydid's review
challenging
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
booksnpunks's review
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
interlibraryloan's review
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
anything i type here will be inadequate to describe the depths of emotion this plumbed out of me