Reviews tagging 'Self harm'

Tell Me I'm Worthless by Alison Rumfitt

215 reviews

atticusboo's review

dark slow-paced

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

2.0

This book had so much potential - drawing on the basic ideals of a haunted house (strongly inspired by the haunting of hill house by Shirley Jackson). 
The author spend too much time trying to show how clever and deep they were that the story just got lost in itself and fell off into rambling nonsense towards the end.
Some chapters are very good at creating frightening, atmospheric horror but overall this should have stayed as a creative writing project in someone's journal imo. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Antisemitism, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Cursing, Transphobia, Body horror, Gore, Rape, Self harm, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Homophobia, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Drug use, Gaslighting, Mental illness, and Self harm

This book contains VERY graphic depictions of rape and sexual assault.

ratkingcole's review

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Misogyny, Hate crime, Self harm, Rape, Violence, Sexual violence, Gore, Racism, Transphobia, and Dysphoria

spinebinding's review

challenging 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

A compelling horror novel that felt like looking in a grimy bathroom mirror. A complex story dealing with the complex intersections of transness and racial identity, how fascism or psudo-fascist states and cultures eat into and violate every person living under them and how it violently separates us and turns us against each other for it's own benefit, making us both the victim and victimizer. 

This story focuses heavily on the fascism and socio-political climate of England.  As an American reader, the themes and concepts did translate and the story resonated deeply with me, but you will find it feels slightly misaligned with American fascism simply because they are different breeds of the same species.   

Some may find the imagery and messaging too heavy handed, but for me it never really felt out of place.  When reading others' opinions I would think 'of course it's heavy handed, fascism is heavy handed.  It beat's itself into you and many do not even notice.'

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Xenophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Antisemitism, Body shaming, Dysphoria, Racism, Sexual violence, Violence, and Sexism

Moderate: Racial slurs and Death

Minor: Drug abuse, Self harm, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Vomit, Misogyny, Blood, Toxic relationship, Drug use, and Hate crime

eanna's review

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Misogyny, Suicide, Racism, Rape, Torture, Antisemitism, Murder, Gore, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Transphobia, Violence, Hate crime, Self harm, Sexism, Body shaming, Blood, Death, and Sexual assault

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

sylvieleggatt's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Sexual content, Suicide, Transphobia, Racism, Self harm, Sexual violence, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Body horror, Death, Hate crime, Homophobia, Sexism, Toxic friendship, Violence, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Dysphoria, Gore, and Vomit

musical_alex's review

challenging dark mysterious reflective 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

4.5

yikes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Gore, Vomit, Xenophobia, Racial slurs, Self harm, Transphobia, Violence, Body horror, Toxic relationship, Drug use, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Addiction, Homophobia, Sexual content, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Excrement, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, and Sexual harassment

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

chainsawheartbooks'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