Reviews tagging 'Deadnaming'

Tell Me I'm Worthless by Alison Rumfitt

54 reviews

unluckycat13's review against another edition

challenging dark fast-paced

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

5.0

I normally don't like a book about such awful people, but honestly I've definitely known the people in this book. Especially Alice. To some extent I've been the people in this book at one point or another. It's a very raw and honest book, people say that about a lot of things but this is sincerity without the saccharine coating that's usually used. 

It has unhinged fetish posts that are reminiscent of the real Internet, and it plays with the structure of a novel in ways that are meta without breaking the story. 

The author builds moments of genuine tension that I rarely feel in a novel. The down side is that the author frequently undercut these moments too. 

My favorite aspect was that the book is very topical. Most fiction is afraid to be set in the world we live in, identifiable and dated. It must always be timeless unless it's a period piece. This book is very identifiably the world I inhabit and see every day. 

Overall solid and I look forward to seeing what other books the author writes. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Death, Rape, Violence, Alcoholism, Hate crime, Gaslighting, Dysphoria, Drug abuse, Racism, Transphobia, Xenophobia, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Torture, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Self harm, Sexism, Misogyny, Mental illness, Drug use, Deadnaming, Confinement, Bullying, Body shaming, Antisemitism, Animal death, and Addiction

siriface's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Loveable characters? No

2.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Self harm, Sexual assault, Rape, Transphobia, Misogyny, Deadnaming, and Homophobia

bookishmillennial's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial

I actually don’t know if I recommend this because though it is meant to be horror, possibly satire, and providing searing commentary on the many -isms and current zeitgeist, I am …. genuinely concerned that it may cause more harm than spark rumination. Maybe it’s just me, but I’m uninterested in forcing folks to read through deeply traumatic and painful events and hateful messaging (obviously posited as wrong and bigoted, but still!) just to get a point across. I’m unsure if this book executes the message it is trying to get across well enough to present the topics at hand.

I felt thoroughly creeped out, uncomfortable, and heartbroken as I read about Ila and Alice’s experiences in the haunted house that left their friend Hannah behind so many years ago. However, again, I genuinely don’t know if I recommend this. I am not saying there’s no room for deeply disturbing literary fictional horror, because obviously the trans community is under attack in the United States, with more policy targeting their rights and general wellbeing. I just don’t know if this book’s graphic nature was for me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Rape, Sexism, Misogyny, Transphobia, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Dysphoria, Child death, Murder, Suicide, Deadnaming, Blood, Antisemitism, Gore, Drug use, and Cursing

thebechdelbitch's review

dark 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

5.0

Jesus Christ, I feel slightly broken having finished this. This is not for the faint of heart, but it's a truly imaginative, absolutely ORIGINAL book which voiced and confirmed some of my deepest fears about this shit show of a country I live in. 

The haunted house metaphor was very on the nose but I don't really care. 

This made me absolutely cringe with fear and disgust before weeping with some sort of joy at the end. I don't think I could give this book less than five stars for inciting such visceral reactions, but definitely approach with caution. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Deadnaming, Dysphoria, Hate crime, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Blood, Gore, Self harm, Rape, Toxic friendship, Transphobia, Violence, Sexual assault, Vomit, Antisemitism, Gaslighting, and Xenophobia

evelyncore's review

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

This book feels and reads like a political post nut clarity - and that's good?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Transphobia, Body horror, Rape, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Classism, Self harm, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Homophobia, Sexual assault, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Infertility, Vomit, Addiction, Pedophilia, Bullying, Excrement, Alcoholism, Islamophobia, Outing, Deadnaming, Deportation, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, Racism, and Ableism

trashgobby's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Antisemitism, Murder, Misogyny, Body horror, Bullying, Gore, Emotional abuse, Transphobia, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Death, and Grief

Moderate: Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Cursing, Racism, Dysphoria, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Deadnaming, Animal death, Classism, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, and Hate crime

Minor: Excrement, Drug use, Confinement, Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Sexual content, Self harm, and Toxic relationship

dodgeremerson's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

Absolutely brutal. 

This book made me deeply uncomfortable the entire time I read it. I don't regret reading it, as it is a good look at how easy it is to fall into fascist ideology, especially for young people and marginalized individuals. 

It is not for everyone, but if you have the stomach for it, it's worth a read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Hate crime, Alcohol, Blood, Classism, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Transphobia, Body shaming, Gore, Lesbophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Death, Domestic abuse, Suicide attempt, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Homophobia, Islamophobia, Rape, Sexual harassment, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Adult/minor relationship, Car accident, Colonisation, Pedophilia, Torture, Violence, Racism, Addiction, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Ableism, Alcoholism, Antisemitism, Bullying, Confinement, Dysphoria, Grief, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Deadnaming, Drug abuse, and Vomit

peggyhepburn's review

challenging dark reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.75

*deep breath* Ok, I think this is a very heavy book, one that’s darkly and deeply reflective of society and the ways in which we and others perceive ourselves, as well as the trans community and what people deem the “ideal female body”. It’s well written, and I don’t believe that a cis author could have written this or done this topic the justice and truth that Rumfitt did, but it’s such a heavy book, one that feels like it’s pushing down more on your chest with each chapter, and so (rightly) political that I can’t say I’ve enjoyed it, it’s more like I’m glad to have experienced it, but I couldn’t read this again.

The language in this, especially considering the subject material and events, can often be very crude, cruel and uncomfortable to read, which I suppose is part of the point of the book. 

I am very glad that Rumfitt included the trigger warnings at the start of the book, they helped me prepare for some of the events and the language that would be used, not necessarily to the point that I knew just how heavy they would be but enough that I was going into the story understanding that I would be reading things that would (and in certain places did) really affect me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Self harm, Body horror, Sexual violence, Rape, Misogyny, Racism, Transphobia, Xenophobia, Body shaming, Sexual assault, Vomit, Antisemitism, Bullying, Hate crime, Suicide attempt, Dysphoria, Drug use, and Violence

Moderate: Deadnaming

pullingthorns's review

challenging dark reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Torture, Suicide, Confinement, Car accident, Hate crime, Blood, Deadnaming, Antisemitism, Sexual assault, Violence, Suicide attempt, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Fire/Fire injury, Drug abuse, Drug use, Xenophobia, Transphobia, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Self harm, Religious bigotry, Rape, Racism, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Homophobia, Gore, Excrement, Emotional abuse, Dysphoria, and Body horror

grey_jayne's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Alison Rumfitt's debut smashed my expectations. I wonder if a cis person would get as much out of this art but as a trans person, I felt very seen, especially in the darkness. What a terrifying haunted house and such traumatized people. And that ending! Make sure you check the content warnings: when Gretchen Felker-Martin calls something "brutal", you know it's gonna hit hard. And it does.

Rumfitt is such my kind of author that I will be rolling into her follow up Brainwyrms soon. In the U.S. both books came out this year so I'm playing catch up.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Rape, Transphobia, Dysphoria, Homophobia, Body shaming, Bullying, and Deadnaming

Moderate: Animal death