Reviews tagging 'Deadnaming'

Tell Me I'm Worthless by Alison Rumfitt

61 reviews

monsterofidaho's review

challenging dark tense 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

4.5

Tell Me I'm Worthless is a punch to the teeth. The House at the center of this book will gut you, talk to you, tease you with the temptations of violence and hatred. The treatment of the House itself and giving it a voice as strong as those of the main characters is seriously not like anything I've ever read. I've never been scared of haunted houses. Unnerved, certainly, or excited. This one terrified me and it's a lingering fear, one that hooks its claws in and sticks. As one might expect, there are many triggers in this book including but not limited to fascism, r*pe, transphobia, hate crimes, self harm, and suicide. Tell Me I'm Worthless is compelling, furious, and uniquely powerful so read safely.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Antisemitism, Sexual assault, Racism, Transphobia, Blood, Sexual violence, Body horror, Xenophobia, and Sexual content

Moderate: Medical content, Medical trauma, War, Excrement, Torture, Violence, Deadnaming, Vomit, Homophobia, and Hate crime

amobrien's review

challenging dark tense medium-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? Yes

3.75

Thank you Netgalley for providing a digital ARC.

Tell Me I'm Worthless is a dark literary horror about trauma and fascism. The story was communicated in a way that made it feel like a fever dream, which only added to the unsettling nature.

There is incredibly heavy content in this book, please check warnings before reading.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Deadnaming, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Hate crime, Transphobia, Antisemitism, Rape, Dysphoria, and Homophobia

Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Suicide, Drug use, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Violence

jamieleepilk's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Sexual content, Domestic abuse, Vomit, Rape, Deadnaming, Death, Dysphoria, Grief, Homophobia, Mental illness, Violence, Transphobia, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Self harm, Blood, Body horror, Gore, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Physical abuse

nialiversuch's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Drug abuse, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Murder, Racial slurs, Racism, Cursing, Dysphoria, Torture, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Vomit, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Blood, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Classism, Deadnaming, Death, Drug use, Excrement, Gore, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Hate crime, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Rape, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Toxic friendship

travelseatsreads's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad 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

If you think the cover and title of Tell Me I’m Worthless are out there (which in fairness they are a little bit) strap in and be prepared for the most terrifyingly haunting and shocking read of your life. TMIW is nasty, vile, graphic and truly brutal yet also wildly intelligent and completely consuming. Be prepared for this book to chew you up and spit you out, leaving you cast aside as sloppy shattered detritus.

I feel this is a book best to be experienced blind to allow its repulsive nature swarm and consume you without any preconceptions so I won't go heavily into the plot. However, in saying that this book comes with the trigger warnings of all trigger warnings. It is a haunted house story which forcefully weaves trauma, violence, horror and sexual assault with the themes of fascism, capitalism and TERFism.

In all honesty, I felt completely lost and eviscerated for the majority of the book's pages. Rumfitt's talent lies in the ability to completely repulse and terrify you to the point that it gets too much and you can handle no more while simultaneously leaving you infatuated and unable to leave any page unread. Alison's unapologetic social commentary, striking imagery and bewitching prose were so jarringly effective that on each page I was left with something else to question in my exhaustion.

I think too often it is said by book reviewers, myself included, that books are like nothing we've ever read before but with TMIW it can be said with complete honesty. Its visceral annihilating nature and menacing imagery will long torment me. The only comparison I can make is that it's like if Shirley Jackson and Carmen Maria Machado had a beautiful yet psychopathic love child.

A harrowing, propulsive and relentless read which will continue to haunt long after that final page is read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Cursing, Self harm, Blood, Body horror, Drug use, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Mental illness, Misogyny, Homophobia, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Torture, Deadnaming, Death, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Gore, Transphobia, Violence, Grief, Hate crime, and Sexual content

auroragoody's review

dark 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Outing, Racism, Rape, Toxic relationship, Antisemitism, Gaslighting, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Classism, Colonisation, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Grief, Infertility, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Islamophobia, Lesbophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexism, Sexual violence, Stalking, Torture, Toxic friendship, Transphobia, Violence, Vomit, and Animal death

blklagoon's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Blood, Gore, Transphobia, Body horror, Self harm, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Deadnaming and Drug use

Minor: Dysphoria

mothfemme's review

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Racial slurs, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Body horror, Deadnaming, Death, Dysphoria, Gore, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Vomit, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Antisemitism, Blood, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Xenophobia

ruddsreads's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Transphobia, Body horror, Deadnaming, Death, Gore, Hate crime, Violence, Antisemitism, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, and Mass/school shootings

szpetot's review

challenging dark mysterious 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Hate crime, Antisemitism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Gore, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Murder, Racial slurs, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Islamophobia, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Toxic friendship, Transphobia, Violence, Vomit, Blood, Body horror, Death, Dysphoria, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Addiction, Outing, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Child abuse, Classism, Cultural appropriation, Deadnaming, Death, Drug use, Drug abuse, Dysphoria, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Hate crime, Animal cruelty, Vomit, Xenophobia, and Suicide attempt