Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

Tell Me I'm Worthless by Alison Rumfitt

20 reviews

punk_flower_child's review against another edition

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

4.5

Horrifying, heartbreaking, grabs-you-by-the-throat storytelling. I had to finish it quickly because it was putting me in a weird headspace but I still loved it. Some of the run ones make it a little hard to follow but I really think it lends to the idea of psychosis or other forms of mental torment

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Sexual violence, Gore, Hate crime, Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Antisemitism, and Body horror

Moderate: Racial slurs, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Animal death, Drug use, and Racism

Minor: Domestic abuse

theelmstreetlibrary's review

challenging dark sad tense slow-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? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Transphobia

Moderate: Alcoholism, Suicide attempt, Drug abuse, Racism, and Self harm

Minor: Toxic friendship, Body horror, Xenophobia, Excrement, Pedophilia, Blood, Death, Misogyny, and Vomit

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

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

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

kessejeen's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Transphobia, Violence, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Panic attacks/disorders, Outing, Grief, Death, Vomit, Xenophobia, Toxic friendship, Self harm, Racism, Homophobia, Dysphoria, Drug use, and Alcoholism

catatlanta's review

challenging dark emotional reflective fast-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? It's complicated

I don’t know how to rate this. An uncomfortable, compelling, experimental exploration of fascism, and particularly the rise of transphobia in the UK. Genuinely horrifying and painfully real even in its most exaggerated moments. Essential queer reading but not something I am comfortable recommending. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, Body horror, Transphobia, Toxic friendship, Self harm, Dysphoria, Homophobia, Antisemitism, Vomit, Rape, Hate crime, Toxic relationship, Torture, Sexual assault, Gore, Excrement, Violence, Racism, Emotional abuse, and Blood

Moderate: Drug use, Suicide, Addiction, Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Drug abuse, and Suicide attempt

funfamilyvideos's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Transphobia, Racism, Rape, Hate crime, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Child abuse, Deadnaming, Antisemitism, Pedophilia, Body horror, Blood, Death, and Dysphoria

Minor: Alcoholism, Deadnaming, Drug use, Excrement, Gore, and Mass/school shootings

abril_chavez's review

dark reflective sad tense slow-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Homophobia, Misogyny, Rape, Mental illness, Bullying, Gaslighting, Violence, Cursing, Death, Body horror, Hate crime, Sexual content, Torture, Transphobia, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Gore, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Murder, Body shaming, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, Alcoholism, Antisemitism, Hate crime, and Genocide

l_will8889's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-paced

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

2.25

I had a really hard time getting through the 140 pages it took to get to the plot that was described on the back of the book. Two whole pages were devoted to transcribing a 4chan post with minimal punctuation, when we got maybe two sentences of lead-in to what should have been a shattering plot twist had there been enough build up. Ila’s perspective and motivations got lost, which made the events of the return to the House and the epilogue feel rushed. The pace and editing didn’t do the story justice (especially if you’re someone who has a hard time with poetry or reading when there aren’t a lot of paragraph breaks). 

That being said, the characters were compelling and difficult in a way that felt honest to their experiences. I loved the literal dual POV moment describing the absolute horror of what really went down between Alice and Ila in the House; the two column format was so unique and gripping I wish I could have read both simultaneously. Unfortunately, I just didn’t find myself enjoying the rest of this book as much as I wanted to. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Antisemitism, Body horror, Rape, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Xenophobia, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Alcohol, Drug abuse, Drug use, Hate crime, Grief, Alcoholism, Addiction, Classism, Self harm, and Suicide